Unheard Voices
by Silver1
Summary: The next installment in the Crystal Digimon Saga. The Digital World grows even more chaotic as an anti-Digidestined movement begins. Other surprises await TK and the others as well.
1. Blame and Guilt

Unheard Voices

Chapter One: Blame and Guilt

by Silver

*Standard Disclaimer: Who doesn't own any rights to Digimon and its characters? That's right, ME!*

Author's Note: Following in the steps of "Walkabout," "Yolei: Rise, Learn, Grow," and "Justice" comes "Unheard Voices." This is TK's story arch. We'll see just how well things go. Sorry this took so long in getting out. I was slightly impeded by the fact that Fan Fiction.net does not work with Internet Explorer 5.0 anymore. I had to upgrade to 5.5 before I could post my stories again. 

Special thanks go to ChrsDud, who helped me come up with the title for this series. As always, reviews, suggestions, and comments are always welcome. Flames are also accepted, but I've never found insight through a flame..

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Takeru "TK" Takashi ran down the school hall in the late afternoon. A basketball practice scrimmage had gone into overtime, and TK was now running late. He sprinted towards the computer room and skidded to a halt in front of the door. He could hear the other Digidestined talking inside.

It had only been two days since the defeat of GrandKuwagamon and Cody's success in getting Armadillomon to crystal digivolve into Creeyamon. Spirits were high due to the fact that the Digidestined now had three Crystal Digimon on their side. Ken, who was still reluctant to permanently ally himself with the others, had clearly stated that he did not want to try and digivolve Wormmon into a Crystal Digimon. He was still getting over his period as the Digimon Emperor, and so he did not trust himself with too much power. 

The Digidestined were now resuming their original plan to destroy all the control spires left over from the Digimon Emperor's reign. Their original efforts had been interrupted by Okuwamon/GrandKuwagamon's attack. Now that he was out of the way, the Digidestined were free to resume their clean up of the Digital World. However, the team was still troubled over the mysterious headband that had controlled GrandKuwagamon. They had been unable to find the headband after the battle in the Digital World, and so they could only conclude that it had somehow escaped, possibly by taking control of another Digimon. 

After today's round of destroying control spires, the Digidestined planned to contact Gennai and ask him about the old man who had first appeared with the headband. TK's body trembled slightly at the memory of GrandKuwagamon destroying the old man after the headband had left him. He had acted confused and lost, as if he hadn't been in control of his own body at the time. The memory of the unknown human vanishing in a flash of red was almost as terrible as TK's memory of Angemon using up all his power to defeat Devimon. TK hoped that he'd never have to go through that again. He also hoped Gennai would know something about the old man and the headband. The last thing the Digidestined needed right now was a wild card running around causing trouble.

TK opened the door and entered the computer lab. Yolei and Poromon were sitting at the computer, surfing the net, while everyone else discussed where they should go next. Davis looked up, "Hey, long time no see, TK." He smirked.

TK grumbled, "Knock it off." 

Davis held up his hands, "Hey, it was just a joke."

Kari looked at TK with a look of concern. "Are you okay?"

TK nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine." Actually, he was very annoyed with his coach for making the team stay longer than practice required. TK had no problem with playing overtime, but he had told his coach that he had been in a hurry and couldn't stay after practice, but his coach had refused to let TK go. That made TK so mad, but he didn't want to show it in front of the others. He knew it wouldn't be like his usual "kind self" to show so much anger over such a small matter.

Kari nodded to his answer, but she didn't look entirely convinced. TK asked, "So, have we decided where we're going?"

Davis shook his head, "Not yet. Kari wants to check out a mountain range, Yolei says that there's a city with an inactive spire, and Cody wants to look in a large forest."

TK arched an eyebrow, "And where do _you_ want to go?"

Davis grinned, "Where else? The beach!" Everyone except TK groaned.

TK said, "Actually, the beach sounds nice. It would be good for us to work somewhere pleasant for a change. We've been going to some pretty hostile places lately. There was the battle in the Ancient Valley, the attack at Meadow Town, the fight with Okuwamon, and then the battle with GrandKuwagamon. We deserve an easy mission for once."

Davis smiled and looked at the others, "Hear that? TK agrees with _me_."

Yolei folded her arms and held her nose high, "We heard you Davis, our ears are plenty big enough to hear your huge voice."

Davis grimaced and mumbled, "Yeah, your ears are almost as big as your mouth." 

In a heartbeat, Yolei was right in Davis' face, grabbing hold of the front of his shirt. There was fire in her eyes. "What was that?!"

"N-n-nothing!" Davis whimpered. TK shook his head at Davis and Yolei's argument. _Yolei's scarier than any Digimon! Davis picked the wrong fight._ Yolei let go and returned to the computer. Davis heaved a sigh of relief.

Kari said, "Well, I think TK's right about us deserving a break. The beach would be a nice place to go."

Cody considered. TK half-expected Cody to say no and point out that there were more immediate concerns, but, instead, Cody agreed. "I have no objections."

Davis clapped Cody on the back, "Now you're talking! Let's hit the beach!" All the Digimon cheered in agreement.

Yolei spoke up, "Um, I hate to burst everyone's bubble, but you should see this." Everyone gathered around Yolei and looked at the computer screen. The map of the Digital World was displayed before them, but every sector was displayed in pure white. All the control spires were gone.

Everyone shouted at once, "WHAT?" They all moved their faces closer to the screen, knocking Yolei to the back of the group in the process. "HEY! Watch it!"

None of the others reacted to Yolei. Kari asked, "Where could they have all gone?"

Davis said, "Ken said he once tried to delete all the spires from his home computer. Maybe he finally got rid of them all?"

Cody shook his head, "He also said that his computer didn't have the power to destroy them all. I doubt he found a way to remove all the spires in just two nights, even if he is a genius." TK noticed that Cody no longer tensed up at the mention of Ken's name.

Kari said, "Maybe the Digimon decided to get rid of the spires on their own?"

TK shook his head, "I an see that happening eventually, but not all at once. Could someone have taken all the spires?"

Yolei asked, "To where? It's not like you can hide a bunch of control spires easily. Ken could barely hide one spire from us at a time, let alone hundreds." 

Demiveemon said, "Maybe Gennai knows. Let's ask him."

Davis nodded and took out his digiterminal. He keyed in Gennai's e-mail and sent a quick message. A few moments later, Gennai's old face appeared on the main computer. "Greetings, Digidestined."

Yolei blinked. She whispered, "That's Gennai? He looks like a human prune."

"YOLEI!" Davis hissed. Yolei apologized meekly.

TK asked, "Gennai, have you been keeping an eye on what's been happening in the Digital World?"

Gennai nodded, "Of course. I don't get cable and I'm living at the bottom of a lake. Watching the Digital World is the only thing keeping me from dying of boredom!" 

Kari smiled, then grew serious again. "Did you see what happened to all the control spires? They've vanished."

Gennai shook his head, "I'm sorry, but I do not know what happened to them. One moment the spires were in their respective locations, then, suddenly, they were gone. I don't know how they vanished without leaving a trace, or where they could have gone. All I can say is that a very powerful force must have been involved to accomplish such a feat."

Davis' voice was dry and sarcastic, "Oh, great. I'm sure this force will be really good for us!" 

Gennai nodded, "Indeed. You should all be on guard. There might be a new enemy gaining strength."

TK said, "Gennai, we saw an old man about two days ago. He was wearing some kind of strange headband that took possession over Digimon's bodies. Kari got a picture of him." Kari plugged her digital camera into the computer and e-mailed the picture to Gennai. 

Gennai's face fell as he looked at the image. "Lazio!" 

Cody frowned, "You know this man?"

Gennai said, "Yes. Even after all these years I recognize the old coot. Lazio was a member of the order that created the crests, tags, and digivices, just as I was. I had thought he was dead, killed in Piedmon's attack. He must have survived the attack somehow and escaped. But, why didn't he come to the storage area where my house is? That was our fallback spot in the event of the main base falling."

Kari said, "Your friend, Lazio, acted pretty confused after the headband came off him. Maybe he was being controlled by it too?"

Gennai said, "I'm not sure. I've never seen this headband before, nor have I ever heard of anything like it. It is possible that it possessed him before he could reach me, but I cannot be certain. Where is Lazio now?"

Davis spoke hesitantly, "H-he was killed by GrandKuwagamon." 

Gennai's face became hard. "I see… Everyone, please be very careful. A storm is brewing. I can feel it. You'd all do well to keep your guard up."

TK nodded, "We understand." Gennai bid them goodbye, and his face vanished from the screen.

Davis asked, "So, what now?"

Cody said, "Well, we don't have any leads just yet, so there's no reason to go searching for the controls spires right now. I think we should sit tight and wait for something to happen. I'm sure we won't have to wait long."

Davis perked up, "Let's still go to the beach!"

Cody replied. "I'm all for some fun, Davis, but we still need to keep our guard up. Going to the beach in the Digital World wouldn't be the smartest thing to do right now." TK nodded. Cody had learned to loosen up a little, but he was still the most focused of the group.

TK was about to talk to Kari when Yolei spoke up. "Hey! I know! There's a sale going on at the computer store downtown. Cody, don't you want to look at the computer upgrades? And Kari, you can check out all the digital cameras they got there!"  
Cody shrugged, "It's better than sitting on our hands and waiting. I'll go."

Kari nodded, "Me too." She looked at TK and Davis. "You two want to come?"

Davis shook his head, "Sorry, there's something else I want to take care of."

TK said, "Um, me too. I-I can't go right now." He had wanted to ask Kari if she wanted to go for some ice cream together, but Yolei had pretty much torpedoed that idea. He wasn't sure what to do now.

Kari said, "Okay, we'll see you later." Kari, Yolei, Cody, and their Digimon all left the computer lab. Davis sat down at the computer and keyed in a sector of the Digital World. 

Patamon asked, "What are you guys doing?"

Davis replied, "Demiveemon and I are going back to Meadow Town."

TK asked, "What for?"

Davis sighed, "I didn't get a chance to talk to ExTyranomon about Blossomon and how he was being controlled by ExPiedmon when he betrayed the town. I want to clear up Blossomon's name. Okuwamon got in the way last time. Since we're not going to the beach, or destroying spires, now's as good a time as any to clear things up." Davis looked at TK. "You wanna come?"

TK was a little taken aback. It was rare for Davis to invite TK to do something with him without Kari and the others being around. TK asked, "Why me?"

Davis replied, "You looked a little lonely when Kari said she'd go with Yolei and Cody." His look was half-sympathetic, half-angry because he knew that TK had intended to ask Kari to go somewhere with just himself. TK was surprised that Davis, of all people, had noticed TK's expression. 

TK considered. He didn't have too much homework, and his mother would be working late that night, just like she did every night. TK nodded, "Okay, I'll go." 

Patamon jumped on top of TK's head, "Me too!"

Demiveemon smiled, "Then let's go!" Davis activated the digiport, and they all vanished into the computer.

********

TK and Davis exited the digiport in the middle of a large forest. TK recognized this area as the forest just outside of Meadow Town. The two humans and their Digimon walked in silence for a long while. TK knew that he and Davis had a history of awkward silence when they were alone. When they had walked through the desert to reach Full Metal City and save Kari from Andromon, they had barely said more than two words to each other. The only real conversation had been complaints and arguments. That had been the only time they worked together in the Digital World. On Earth, TK and Davis rarely talked to each other unless they were in a group. They hadn't quarreled since Davis' walkabout, but there was still some distance between them. 

There was a slight rustling in the woods. Davis jumped, "What was that?" A Numamon scurried out of the bushes and down the road. Davis visibly relaxed and TK chuckled.

"Real brave, Davis."

Davis fumed, "Hey! You'd be on edge too if you been chased through these woods by Darklizardmon too!" 

TK was somewhat glad to have a conversation strike up. "Sounds like Darklizardmon was pretty scary." 

Davis folded his arms, "I-I wasn't scared."

Veemon asked, "Then why were you running so fast when he was chasing us?" Davis glared at his partner.

Patamon asked, "I've never seen a Darklizardmon, what did he look like?"

Davis said, "Take Greymon (minus the horns on his head), give him a metal skull and metal claws, cover his body in black flames, and give him an attitude ten times worse than our gym teacher. That's Darklizardmon in a nutshell."

TK nodded, "With a description like that, I can see why you're a little edgy."

Davis huffed, "I am not edgy!" There was another rustling, and Davis jumped a mile into the air. Everyone else laughed. Davis had a sour expression on his face, "Ha, ha, very funny."

TK remembered that he should laugh at Davis so much. "Sorry, Davis, but you have to admit that it was just a little funny."

Davis nodded, "Yeah, I guess… HEY! LOOK OUT!" He pointed over TK's shoulder. 

"What?" TK whirled around, half-expecting to see a Darklizardmon at that very moment. There was nothing but trees behind him. Davis, Veemon, and even Patamon burst out laughing. TK scowled, "Oh, good one."

Davis said, "Sorry, but now we're even. Okay?" TK nodded. They continued to walk, lapsing back into silence again. They remained silent until they reached the edge of the forest and beheld Meadow Town. The town was even larger than TK remembered. _This town just keeps growing and growing_. It wouldn't be too long before the town would probably be renamed Meadow City. 

TK said, "What are the odds the towns-Digimon will swarm us again?"

Davis sighed, "About 99.99999%." They entered the town hesitantly. TK noticed Davis glance over at the patch of land were he had once erected a small memorial mound to Blossomon after the Digimon's death. Upon their last visit to Meadow Town, Davis had found out that the mound had been defaced and ruined, and now there was a house where the mound should have been. _These Digimon just can't forgive Blossomon. I hope Davis can convince them to forgive him. It's not like he betrayed them intentionally._

"Look! Digidestined!" _Here we go again! _TK mentally groaned as a flock of Digimon came to greet them. Meadow Town Digimon were notorious hero-worshipers. Patamon perched himself as high on TK's head as far as he could go while Veemon hid behind Davis, and Davis hid behind TK. 

Davis called from behind TK, "Could we please see ExTyrannomon?" The two Digidestined began to wade their way through the crowd of overly anxious Digimon in search of the town leader.

"Digidestined Davis! Digidestined TK! Over here!" The comical-looking ExTyrannomon waved at them frantically from inside a nearby building. TK and Davis went into a sprint through the crowd of Digimon and entered ExTyrannomon's building. He slammed the door behind them. Loud thumps could be heard even as TK, Davis, and their Digimon regained their composure. Shouts came from the outside, and the Digimon were chanting, "Digidestined, Digidestined, Digidestined…" 

TK shook his head, "They don't give up, do they?"

Davis smiled and shrugged, "The price of stardom." 

ExTyrannomon apologized profusely, "I'm so terribly sorry for what happened. I'm afraid the towns-Digimon are still too anxious to see you. In fact, your popularity has risen since you last saved Meadow Town from Okuwamon. But let's not dwell on such things." He provided his guests with chairs and drink, and then asked, "What brings you back to our fair town?"

Davis took a deep breath and explained their reasons for returning. He told ExTyrannomon about the battle with ExPiedmon. Davis also explained how ExPiedmon had used Darklizardmon to attack Meadow Town in order to steal Digimon energy, and how Blossomon had been a victim of ExPiedmon's mind controlling powers. "So, you see, Blossomon didn't betray the town on purpose. ExPiedmon messed with his head, and so he wasn't thinking clearly. I know that doesn't undo the damage that's been done, but can you at least explain to the towns-Digimon that it really wasn't Blossomon's fault?"

ExTyrannomon nodded grimly. "I see… I thank you, Digidestined Davis. I knew that Blossomon was incapable of betrayal on his own, and you have confirmed my faith in him. Unfortunately, I do not think my fellow Digimon will agree with you."

Davis looked crestfallen, "What? Why?"

ExTyrannomon sighed. His normally prim and proper voice was deep and serious. "After Darklizardmon's attack, many Digimon began to look for a scapegoat. Blossomon was the obvious choice for the blame to fall upon. By being able to blame someone, many Digimon feel that they have control over the situation, and that the disastrous attack of Darklizardmon was not a simple streak of bad luck. It was Blossomon's fault, and since he's gone, it can never happen again. At least, that's what the Digimon believe."

TK said, "That's not fair! How can they blame one Digimon for all that?"

ExTyrannomon said, "It's not a question of fairness. It's a question of control. Digimon do what it takes to feel as if they are in control. It is surprising and troubling just how much control one feels when they are able to blame someone else." TK bowed his head. _Some humans are like that too._

Davis asked, "So, we can't tell the towns-Digimon the truth?"

ExTyrannomon replied, "We can, but I'm afraid that the truth will fall on deaf ears. But, I'm sure that Blossomon's friends, Floramon and Deramon, will be heartened to know the truth. They never stopped believing in Blossomon's goodness." 

Davis smiled sadly, "I'm glad. Thanks, ExTyrannomon. Thanks for listening to us." TK watched Davis with a great deal of concern. It was very clear that Blossomon had become a good friend to Davis in a short amount of time. TK knew that Davis had sworn to clear Blossomon's name, but now that looked impossible. 

TK placed a hand on Davis' shoulder. "Hey, don't worry. I'm sure the Meadow Town Digimon will cool down one day and realize what a mistake their making. They just need some time."

Davis nodded, "Thanks, TK. Let's get going." They stood up. ExTyrannomon escorted them to the door. Davis smiled, "Brace yourself." TK chuckled, thinking of the crowd of Digimon hero-worshipers on the other side. TK also realized that this was one of the few normal moments of friendship the two of them shared. 

To their surprise, no Digimon rushed them when the door opened. In fact, all the Digimon were now in the middle of the street, encircled around one Digimon, a Kiwimon. TK noticed that this Kiwimon looked very strange. He had a small limp in his step, and he wore a black hood over his head. The hood covered the upper-half of his face and he could barely see out from under the hood.

Davis asked, "What the heck?" 

TK strained to hear the Kiwimon speak, "My fellow Digimon! I am pleased to see so many of you assembled in one place. This makes it far easier for me to spread my message to all of you! I have come here from far away lands to open your eyes to a new way of thinking. Tell me, what do you think of the Digidestined?"

The crowd started to shout, "They're the greatest!" "They've saved our home twice now!" "They've saved the Digital World countless times!"

The Kiwimon nodded, "So, you think they are heroes, worthy of praise? Let me ask you this, why did the Digidestined save us? Was it because there was a threat to begin with, or was it because they themselves created it?" Stunned silence greeted the Kiwimon's question. He continued, "Allow me to clarify. The Digidestined have defeated many powerful Digimon, yet each time they defeat one Digimon, another more powerful threat emerges. The legend of the Digidestined says that they will appear when evil threatens the land, but is it not this prophecy that causes the threat to appear in the first place? This is what I am trying to say: It is because of the existence of the Digidestined themselves that the Digital World has come under so many threats. Had they never appeared, our lives would never have been endangered!" The crowd continued to stare in silence.

"That's bull!" Davis shouted and made his way to the center of the circle. 

Something eager flashed in the Kiwimon's eyes. "How fortunate! A Digidestined is here to debate my claims!" TK joined them in the circle. "Another one! This is indeed fortunate!" 

TK kept his voice calmer than Davis'. "Why do you think we caused all the evil Digimon attacks? We are the ones who stopped their evil."

Kiwimon said, "But why did the evil Digimon start attacking? Isn't it strange that the evil Digimon started attacking just after you first arrived? Devimon did not start to control File Island until you came to this world. Etemon did not start causing real trouble on Server until you arrived there. Myotismon would most likely have remained in the shadows if not for his war with you. And isn't it convenient that the Dark Masters began to attack just after you left the Digital World? So, tell me, how can these events not be linked? Isn't it true that the legend of the Digidestined caused these sorrowful events to occur?"

TK said, "We were pulled into the Digital World at first, we didn't come willingly! We didn't start all those battles, we were forced in to them!" He was beginning to get mad.

Kiwimon asked, "Oh? So you didn't fight to save our world, you fought to save yourselves? You fought hard just because you wanted to go home? I wonder, would you have sacrificed our world to return to your own?" 

He asked the crowd, "Are these the guardians that you want? Do you want to rely on creatures that do not truly care about this world? Think for a moment. Did the Digidestined help to rebuild our world after the Dark Masters ruined it? Did they nurse the baby Digimon at Primary Village after so many Digimon died to help them? Did they bother to look for lost Digimon after the fighting was done? No, they did not! Once the fighting was over, the Digidestined left us! We cannot depend upon fighters who are unwilling to clean up after themselves!"

Davis growled, "We _have_ been helping to rebuild the Digital World after the Emperor caused all that damage!"  
Kiwimon smiled, "Ah, yes, the Digimon Emperor. Funny how a human came to our world and began to enslave us! If the Digidestined had never come to this world, then the Emperor would not have had a portal through which to pass and invade us! Admit it, everyone, all of the tragedies that have befallen us are because the Digidestined summon the disasters themselves! You say that the Digidestined have saved this town twice, but did the threats appear before or after they arrived? I think they started _after_ the Digidestined arrived." TK was horrified to see many Digimon nod in agreement and begin to mutter.

Veemon stepped forward, "You'd better stop saying all those mean things! Davis and the others are the best friends a Digimon could have! There's no way they'd hurt anybody! You'd better stop badmouthing them!"

Kiwimon asked, "Or what? You'll digivolve into a Champion and squash me? I doubt you could do anything else besides resorting to violence."

"ENOUGH!" ExTyrannomon entered the circle. "Here in Meadow Town, we believe in free speech, but I will not have you inciting a riot! Leave here immediately!" 

The Kiwimon nodded, "I shall go, but I extend the offer to everyone to join me and to help me convince other Digimon that the Digidestined are not needed here in the Digital World! We must build our destiny by ourselves and not rely on outsiders to do the work for us." He looked at TK and Davis, "Leave this world, now. You're no longer needed nor wanted." With that, Kiwimon spun around and left the town. Several Digimon hesitated, then followed. The rest of the crowd looked at the Digidestined with a mixture of sympathy, fear, and sorrow.

Davis growled, "What a jerk!"

TK huffed, "Never mind. Let's go home."

********

"That JERK!" Davis shouted for the fifteenth time. "Just where does he get off blaming us for everything that's happened?!" 

"Just… ignore him." TK's voice was distant. His thoughts didn't match his words. Was it true? Had the Digidestined caused all the fighting just by appearing in the Digital World? Had TK inadvertently forced Angemon to give his life to defeat Devimon, and was it his fault that Myotismon had attacked Japan? 

Davis continued, "He's just looking to put the blame on someone else. It's just like the Meadow Town Digimon blaming Blossomon for the whole Darklizardmon thing." 

TK's thoughts shifted to ExTyrannomon's words. _It's not a question of fairness. It's a question of control. Digimon do what it takes to feel as if they are in control. It is surprising and troubling just how much control one feels when they are able to blame someone else._ TK let out a small puff of breath as he thought back to when his parents had gotten a divorce. During that time, he had blamed himself. He had figured that he had done something wrong and forced his family to break up. That was why he had tried to act as good and cheerful as he did. _I still act like that today, even though I don't really feel like it all the time_. Was he blaming himself just to get a handle on the situation, or was it true because he wasn't blaming someone else? _I'm so confused_.

Davis was still complaining, "Well, I don't care what that Kiwimon says! We're doing the right thing and I'm not sorry I came here!"

Veemon nodded, "I'm glad you're here, Davis."

Patamon said, "Me too, TK! TK?" Everyone noticed TK's distant expression.

Davis waved his hand in front of TK's face. "Hey, TK, you okay?"

TK snapped out of his thoughts, "Uh? Yeah… I'm fine." _I can't tell Davis. He wouldn't understand. I've got to keep it together. I'm the most experienced, so I have to stay in control. I have to…_TK continued to walk on, ignoring Davis' concerned look and Patamon's questions. He headed towards the forests, his thoughts as dark as the night that descended upon them. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Creepy-Sounding Digimon Announcer: "What is the Kiwimon planning? And what is wrong with T-"

Silver: "QUIET YOU! I did not say you could narrate my story!"

Creepy-Sounding Digimon Announcer: "Sorry."

Silver: "You're forgiven. Anyway, folks, Chapter 2 will be out as soon as possible. Please review and let me know what's good, what's bad, and what can be improved upon. I really do think TK is not as cheery as he lets on, not all the time, anyway. Hopefully, I can explore his hidden side without twisting his character all out of shape."

"By the way, (SPOILER ALERT!) it turns out Gennai will be appearing in 02, just before Imperialdramon shows up. But get this, he's young again! He looks just like he did in the flashback where he saves the digieggs from Piedmon. I found out about this by downloading a clip from the Anime Intro Archive."


	2. Doubt and Solitude

Unheard Voices

Chapter 2: Doubt and Solitude

by Silver

*All Too-Standard Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, its characters, or its creatures. Maybe I should ask Toei Animation if I could at least borrow them for a couple of years.*

Author's Note: You might want to read "Hard Times," a short story I did on TK in addition to this chapter. There are some common themes running through both this story and "Hard Times". 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Takashi! Wake up!" TK looked at his basketball coach with a half-awake expression on his face.

"Sorry, coach. I didn't sleep very well last night."

His coach was unsympathetic, "No excuses! We've got a big game coming up, and I don't have time for zombies on the court! Either get with it or get lost!" TK shook his head. His coach didn't realize what was happening in TK's life. 

It was the day after TK and Davis went to Meadow Town. TK had been up all night pondering Kiwimon's words. He couldn't help but wonder if the Digimon had been right. Was it TK's fault that all those evil Digimon appeared? Had it been because of the Digidestined legend that all those tragedies occurred in the Digital World? TK hadn't breathed a word of what had happened to Kari or the others; he wasn't sure about Davis, however.

Basketball practice ended after an eternity. TK had probably played at his lowest level ever. He just couldn't focus on something as minor as basketball when he had all these questions hanging around in his mind. TK showered and dressed to leave. He needed more time to think.

"Hey, TK!" Kari came up. "I was watching your basketball game. You were really out of it, is everything okay?" 

TK forced a lie out of his mouth, "Yeah, everything's fine. I guess I'm just a little off today. Don't worry."

Kari folded her arms, "You're lying. I can always tell when you're lying."

TK blinked, "Really?"

Kari nodded, "You're a lousy liar, TK. Now, what's wrong?" She placed a hand on his shoulder.

TK shrugged it off and shook his head, "Nothing's wrong! I'm fine." He spun on his heel and walked away.

Surprised by his rudeness, Kari called after him, "If everything's fine, then why are you acting like such a jerk?" 

********

Davis finished packing his bag and was about to start heading for home when Kari came up to him. Davis' initial joy at having Kari come to see him was slightly diminished by her next question.

"Davis, did something happen to TK yesterday?"

Davis fumbled for words, "Something happened? Well… um…" Davis had been debating this all day. On one hand, the others had a right to know that there was an anti-Digidestined movement starting in the Digital World. On the other hand, Kiwimon's speech had really effected TK, and Davis didn't want to force TK to talk about it before he was ready. TK and Davis had a lot of arguments, but Davis still thought that TK was his friend, albeit a somewhat distant friend. 

Kari's look softened, "Davis, please, I need to know if something's wrong with TK."

Davis sighed and made his decision. "Okay, something did happen yesterday in the Digital World. I'm not really sure I should be telling you this…"

********

TK sat on the edge of the school roof, looking out over the city around him. _All those people can be so carefree. What I wouldn't give to be one of them…_

"TK!" Patamon came flying up from a nearby tree. "Hey, are we going home?"

TK replied, "Yeah, in a minute." He was silent for a moment, "Patamon, what do you think about the Digidestined?"

Patamon blinked, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, are you glad we came to the Digital World?" 

Patamon nodded, "Of course! You're the best friend I could ever have. Same goes for the others."

TK said, "But if we hadn't come, you would have had to leave your home, File Island. And if we hadn't shown up, you wouldn't have had to fight all those evil Digimon or get hurt. And… you wouldn't… you wouldn't have had to die in the fight with Devimon!" TK's body began to shudder.

Patamon grew concerned, "You're still dwelling on that? TK, it wasn't your fault."

"Yes it was!" TK stood up, "You gave your life to save me, and I couldn't do a thing just because I was a little kid! You'd have been better off if I'd never showed up! Same for my parents and my brother, they'd all have been better off if I'd never been born!"

"That's not true, TK." TK turned around. Kari and Davis were standing at the door to the roof. Kari's eyes were both stern and sympathetic at the same time. "I don't want to think about where we'd be if you weren't around." 

TK read the look in Kari's eyes, then glanced at Davis, "You told her, didn't you?"

Davis replied, "You didn't give me much choice, man. You've been tearing yourself up ever since we left Meadow Town." 

Kari asked, "TK, do you really believe that we were wrong to come to the Digital World?"

TK shook his head. "No, it's just… I can't help feeling that I caused some of all that stuff to happen. I keep wondering if I kept creating all those evil Digimon just because I'm a Digidestined."

Davis frowned, "Just because _you_ are a Digidestined? What about Tai and the others? They're Digidestined too, and so are Cody, Yolei, and I. It's not like this only concerns you, TK."

TK said, "I'm not judging anybody but myself. If it is my fault that evil Digimon started to appear, then I need to know so I can make up for my mistakes!"

Kari placed a hand on TK's shoulder, "TK, you're taking on more responsibility than one person should have. You can't be responsible for everything that happens in the Digital World, or this world. It's not your fault."

TK asked, "But what about the Digidestined legend? What if all those evil Digimon were created because some prophecy about us said that evil Digimon would come?"

Kari replied, "We have no way of knowing if that's true or not, and we shouldn't dwell on it. You need to believe in us, TK. We've dealt with evil Digimon before, and we've kept the peace in the Digital World. If we did cause the creation of evil Digimon, that's too bad, but that just means we have to keep fighting to keep the peace. It's our responsibility." 

TK started to say, "But what if-"

Davis burst out, "What if, what if, what if? That's all I'm hearing from you! Look, if you waste all your time asking 'what if this happened' or 'what if that happened' then you'll never get anything done. If you're so worried about what might happen or what could have happened, then you might as well not get out of bed in the morning!"

TK grumbled, "That's easy for you to say."

Davis glared, "No it isn't! I'll be the first one to admit that I've made a lot of mistakes in the past."

TK nodded, "No argument here."

Kari said, "Me neither."

Davis grimaced, "Thanks, thanks _a lot_." He regained his composure, "But I decided on my walkabout that I'd stop beating myself up for past mistakes. If I spent all my time worrying about what I've done wrong, I'd never have any time to do anything right. I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't let my troubles stop me from doing the best that I can in whatever it is I'm doing, including being a Digidestined. I think you need to make the same promise, TK."

Kari nodded, "Davis is right, TK. You need to have a little more faith in yourself. And you need to have more faith in us too. You're not alone, we're all in this together."

TK was silent for a moment as Davis and Kari's words sunk in. Finally, he said, "You're… You're right, guys. I'm sorry. It's just that sometimes I feel like I'm the most responsible, because I've been a Digidestined the longest."

Kari said, "TK, I think you need to talk to your mom. That's part of what's bothering you, isn't it?"

TK nodded, "Yeah, it is. I promise I'll talk to my mom tonight. Thanks, Kari. And, thank you, Davis."

Davis smiled, "Sure. No prob." He looked at his watch, "Oh man! I'm late. My folks are working late and Jun's gonna finish all the dinner before I get home! See ya!" He ran back into the building.

Kari giggled, "Davis is still a little out there, but he's a sweet guy."

TK nodded, "Yeah, he's a good friend. So are you, Kari."

Kari smiled at him, "I'll see you later. Call me if you want to talk some more."

TK nodded, "I will." Kari left the rooftop. TK said to Patamon, "Come on, let's go home. I'll make you a really big ice cream sunday."

Patamon jumped up. "Yippie!" 

********

Avatar limped through a dark corridor, and cursed his luck for possessing an injured Kiwimon. He had neither the time nor an opportunity to switch to a different host body. Hopefully, that would change soon. If this plan worked, Avatar's master would reward him with the greatest form in the entire Digital World. A source of power so great, that Avatar would never again need to switch bodies like a parasite. He would finally have a body to call his own, forever. Failure not only meant the denial of such power, but also Avatar's own destruction.

He entered a large round audience chamber within his master's new castle. His lord was sitting on a huge thrown in the middle of the chamber, covered in shadows. All Avatar could make out was his master's large burly form, the horns curving upwards from his head, and the large bat-like wings on his back. Avatar got on his knees, despite the pain of his injuries.

"My lord, I am pleased to report that I have been to several towns, and have gathered a large number of supporters."

The figure on the thrown growled, "What matter is it to me if we have such weaklings serving us?"

Avatar knew that his lord grew impatient. He had waited over four years for this crucial period, and his patience grew thin. The fact that his master had already lost to the Digidestined once didn't help the situation either. Avatar replied, "I assure you, sire, that this is all an important part of my plan to gain more power."

The figure nodded, "Ah, yes. You're great plan. But tell me, what good will an Ultimate Digimon do us? They do not have enough power to fulfill my needs." 

Avatar explained, "Sadly, my lord, there are no more Mega Digimon for us to recruit. The Digidestined destroyed them all. Therefore, I have been forced to resort to my backup plan. The Digimon we seek is one of the few Digimon that falls within the gray area between Ultimate and Mega. Although he is classified as an Ultimate, his power is such that he can compete on the same level as a Mega. While I know that his power will not be enough to fully match your needs, I am confident that his energy will be enough to lay down a firm base of power upon which we can build."

Avatar's master nodded, "Very well. You may proceed with the operation."

Avatar cleared his throat, "There is one small problem. The Digidestined might interfere with my plan."

The figure waved a claw, "They are only a concern as long as they have the Digivolution Crystal. If we can acquire that babble, and the children of hope and light, then none can oppose me. Take Cyclonemon with you. He will deal with anyone who dares to interfere." Avatar could tell that his lord was smiling, "And do be quick about it. My child grows hungry." 

Avatar glanced to his right. In the far right area of the chamber there was a large pit. Two control spires, half the size of standard spires, reached up from the pit and bordered a huge organic sack that hung from the ceiling. The sack was black and glowed with a dark purple light. The tissue of the sack pulsed and rippled as the life form within grew. Avatar could feel his mouth water. _My power, my body_. He raised himself, "I shall not fail, sire. Upon my life!"

His master nodded, "Yes. Your life hangs upon the success of this mission."

********

TK took a deep breath as he stood outside his mother's room. His belly was a solid ball of ice. He knew he had to go through with this, but it scared him so much. He peeked in on his mother. She was busy typing away at her laptop, as usual. _I shouldn't do this. I'll be asking about her divorce without any reason. What if I make her feel bad? What if she gets mad at me?_

"If you waste all your time asking 'what if this happened' or 'what if that happened' then you'll never get anything done." "I think you need to talk to your mom. That's part of what's bothering you, isn't it?" Davis and Kari's advice still echoed in TK's mind. They were right; it was high time he asked his mother what the cause of TK's parent's divorce had been. Was it him, or had it been something else? TK had to know, but he was afraid. Part of him was afraid to confront his mother, the other half was afraid to know the truth. Davis had said that TK shouldn't waste his time worrying, so TK took one more breath, and knocked on his mother's door._ Let's get this over with._

"Mom? Can I come in for a sec?"

"Sure TK, come in." TK entered and took a closer look at his mother, Nancy. She looked tired and frustrated, which made TK even more reluctant to speak. Despite her tired look, TK's mother smiled at him. "Is something on your mind?"

TK began to fidget with his hands, "Well… I, um… Mom, I need to ask you a question, but I'm afraid that it's the wrong time to ask it."

TK's mother shook her head, "TK, you can ask me any question you have."

TK said, "It's about when you and Dad got a divorce." His mother suddenly had a stern look on her face.

"Oh… I see." Fear welled up in TK, but his mother said, "Please, what is your question?"

TK turned to leave, he couldn't do this. "It's nothing. Never mind."

His mother came up and held his arm to keep him from leaving. She gently turned him towards her. "TK, this is important. I've known for a long time that our divorce has effected you more than you let on. I've been worried that you've been keeping it bottled up inside for too long. Please, ask me your question."

The words exploded from TK's mouth, "I need to know why you and Dad got a divorce. Was it my fault? Did-did I do something to break you two up?" His body began to tremble, and tears welled up in his eyes. 

TK's mother wrapped her arms around him and held him close. "Oh, sweetheart, no! No, you didn't do anything to break us up. What ever could have made you think that?"

TK continued to tremble, "It's just that everything seemed to fall apart so fast. One minute, you and Dad were getting along just fine; then, you were talking to us about splitting up the family. I thought that I had done something to make this happen. I figured that I had screwed everything up!" He buried his face in his mother's shoulder and began to weep.

His mother patted his head, "TK, honey, listen to me. You didn't do anything. It's not your fault. Your father and I were having some hard times. We tried to cover it up, but in the end we decided that we just weren't compatible. I loved your father, but something just couldn't hold up. The important thing, however, is that none of that was your fault."

TK said, "I-I just somehow figured that it was. I thought that if I hadn't been there, you guys wouldn't have had to split up. I thought you'd all be better off if I'd never been born."

TK's mother leaned back and cupped her hands around TK's chin. "_Never_ think that, TK. You are the most precious thing in the world to me. I don't want to think about where I'd be without you. Okay?" She pressed her forehead to his.

TK nodded, "Okay." He dried his eyes, and his body stopped shaking. 

His mother said, "I'm glad you finally got this out in the open. I've been worried. I would have asked you about it myself, but I was scared to force you to deal with it. That, and I've never been very good at helping my children."

TK shook his head, "That's not true! You're a great Mom!"

She smiled, "I appreciate that, TK, but the truth is that I haven't been doing a good job. I work so late and I can't find a way to speak to you or your brother very comfortably. Sometimes I feel like I'm the one who let everyone down."

TK said, "You haven't! I'm sorry. I'm making you sad for nothing."

His mother replied, "It is something if it makes you this sad. TK, never forget how much your father and I love you."

"I won't, Mom. Thanks."

His mother said, "I need a break. Let's order some take-out and have dinner together." TK smiled.

********

TK entered his room, feeling ten pounds heavier after having so much food and soda. He and his mother had had their first long talk in a while. They had talked about what was going on in TK's life, and how his mother's job was going. They had also discussed the time of his parent's divorce. His mother had explained that because of the pressure of being two working parents, as well as a low income and high stress, TK's parents had begun to take out their frustrations on each other. When they realized what they were doing, TK's parents had grown afraid that they were setting a poor example for their children, and were running the risk of hurting their children in the process. At first, they had tried to cover things up and start over, but the damage ran too deep. TK's parents had decided to get a divorce because they felt it was the safest thing for the whole family. Once again, TK's mother had assured him that he hadn't caused the divorce. His parents would have split up no matter what happened, and nothing could have stopped it. 

His mother had been forced to go back and finish her writing while TK headed back to his room. He felt so relieved, and almost giddy with joy at finally having a normal dinner and conversation with his mother. Patamon was resting on TK's bed. He got up as soon as TK entered the room.

"How'd the talk with your Mom go?"

TK leaned against the door, suddenly feeling very tired. "It went great, Patamon. I feel like I got a big weight off my chest."

Patamon flew up to TK. "That's great. I'm glad you're feeling better. When you're sad, I'm sad."

TK patted the Digimon's head, "Sorry, buddy."

Patamon smiled, "TK, you're my best friend and I love you for that. I'll never forget how you took care of me after I fought with Devimon. You took such good care of me as Poyomon and Tokomon. I'll never, ever, forget that."

TK was about to reply when his D3 buzzed. He pulled it out and looked at the tiny screen. A distress message was flashing in red. It was the kind of distress signal that Tai and the other older Digidestined got when one of their Digimon was in trouble. _But Patamon's with me. Who'd send me a distress signal?_ He took a closer look at the message. It was coming from Primary Village. _Elecmon! He needs help!_ TK turned to his partner, "Patamon, Elecmon needs help! We've got to get moving." He pulled out his digiterminal and sent an e-mail to the others alerting them to the distress signal. _It's late, I hope they can all get to a computer in time._

TK ran to his desk and pulled a laptop out of a drawer. His mother had gotten it for him since she was always using her own laptop. TK held his D3 to the screen, "Digiport open!" The gate to the Digital World appeared on the screen and began to glow. "Let's go, Patamon!" The light from the Digital World swallowed TK and Patamon. In a moment, they were gone. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Any guesses on which Ultimate Digimon Avatar has sets his sights on? You'll find out in the next chapter.


	3. Loss and Sadness

Unheard Voices

Chapter 3: Loss and Sadness

by Silver

*Standard Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to Digimon, its characters, creatures, or locations. I have now typed this stupid disclaimer so many times that I've started to write it in my sleep. Please help me!*

Author's Note: Sorry I didn't get this out sooner. I went on a slight detour to write some other stories. What can I say, I write on a whim!

Veemon's Champion form will appear in this chapter. However, I've decided to keep spelling it as XVmon and not ExVeemon. Furthermore, I will call his attack X Laser, not V Laser. I'm mean, it's shaped like an X! How could the translators miss that? 

I'd like to thank everybody who reviewed the last chapter and offered guesses as to which Ultimate Avatar was looking for. In truth, it was all of your guesses that led me to rethink my story, and I actually ended up scraping my previous plot line for what I hope will be a better one. You folks will have to judge whether or not I'm doing a good job, of course. So, please read and review!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Avatar looked out from his cover within the forest. Across a small meadow he saw the tiny village located on File Island. It was made out of large fluffy blocks that made the town look more like a giant-sized collection of a child's building blocks. Avatar glared at the town with more hatred than he could feel for any living being. It wasn't bad memories that brought on his hatred for the Primary Village, but rather a lack of memories. _This is where _I_ should have been. If Piedmon and the Dark Masters hadn't come…_

Avatar shook his head. Now was not the time to feel old grudges. _But when I get my perfect body, this will be the first place that I destroy! _He turned back to the troop of Digimon assembled behind him. The anti-Digidestined followers that he had gathered from various towns had accompanied him to Primary Village. Their purpose was negligible, but they would be of some small use. Several Digimon had portable pens that would be used to hold the baby Digimon inside the village. It was somewhat disappointing how easy it had been to trick these fools, but Avatar felt no pity for them, or their stupidity.

Farther back in the forest, a large shadow moved. That was Cyclonemon, Avatar's backup plan, and one of the few powerful Digimon that had fallen under Avatar's master's command.

Avatar looked at his followers, "Are you all prepared? This is where we begin to build our own future." 

A Woodmon spoke hesitantly, "Um, master?" Avatar suppressed a grin. He loved it when someone else called him master.

"Yes?"

"Are you sure this is wise? Primary Village is the birthplace of all Digimon. To attack it is… is…" 

Avatar gave his followers a reassuring smile, "I understand your hesitation, but this is an important mission. The key to shaping our own destiny lies within that village. All you must do is detain the guardian, Elecmon, and cause a little havoc. You needn't harm anyone, just scare them a little." The Woodmon nodded, but still seemed afraid. Avatar fought hard not to roll his eyes. Throw in the word "destiny" and creatures would follow you like Roachmon to a garbage dump. _Such simple-minded fools! They don't realize the blessing bestowed upon them, the blessing that I was denied! _Avatar let out a quick breath, "Go ahead, I will join the raid shortly." The Digimon charged past him.

Avatar moved closer to the large shadow of Cyclonemon. "Remember, let the child of hope get to Primary Village, but don't let any other Digidestined through, understand?" A deep growl relayed an affirmative. Avatar nodded and followed after his ignorant servants.

********

Elecmon, guardian of Primary Village, went about feeding the baby Digimon happily. It was a good time for Primary Village, because the fear of invasion by the Digimon Emperor had passed. Elecmon had been able to avoid capture by the Digimon Emperor and continued to defend Primary Village. Of course, he knew that other Elecmon had not been so fortunate. He had heard horror stories of Elecmon being forced to battle each other within the Digimon Emperor's arena for his own twisted enjoyment. It scared him to think about what might of happened to he and his babies if he had been captured and Primary Village taken over.

Elecmon pulled his thoughts back to the present. The Digimon Emperor was gone, and the fear that had hung over File Island had been lifted. The Digimon babies were as hungry and as energetic as ever, and Elecmon was happy. 

A loud noise caught his attention. Large numbers of Digimon were charging towards Primary Village! Elecmon's expression grew stern. "One moment, babies. I'll be back soon." He ran to confront the intruders. His orders were very specific. No one could enter Primary Village without speaking to him first, and there were no exceptions to that rule. Besides, these Digimon didn't look like they wanted to talk. 

Elecmon jumped into the air, "Super Thunder Strike!" Lighting leapt from his tail and cut across the ground in front of the invaders. They were slowed by the attack, and some actually turned back, but many more pressed forward. Elecmon landed and charged. He head-butted a Gazimon in the chest, then jumped away as two Woodmon tried to grab him.

"Rain of Pollen!" Several Floramon took a shot at him by sending pollen from the flower pod-like hands. Elecmon dodged and countered with another Super Thunder Strike. _There's too many, I'm being overrun!_

"Spiral Saw" A Gizamon jumped up and curled into a ball. His body began to spin and his spikes became a spinning blade. He slammed into Elecmon and knocked him to the ground. Elecmon winced as he stood up. These Digimon were tough. They had a look in their eyes, a strange sort of fanaticism. _I'm in trouble, I need help_. This was the invasion that he had always feared from the Digimon Emperor. It was ironic, and painful, to think that the invasion came _after_ the Emperor had left the Digital World. _Betrayed by my fellow Digimon, what is the Digital World coming to?_

Elecmon thought of his two old friends, TK and Patamon. He could really use their help right about now. "TK! Patamon! I need your help!" 

********

Davis lay on his bed, tossing a soccer ball up and down in the air. Demiveemon was snoring loudly on his chest. Davis smiled, _And he complains about my snoring_. Suddenly, Davis' digiterminal chimed, signaling an incoming e-mail. Davis carefully slid Demiveemon onto the bed without waking him, and read the message.

Elecmon needs help. Come to the Primary Village right away.

-TK

Davis frowned. Jun was using the family's laptop computer to send e-mails to Matt. She wouldn't give the computer up easily. Davis went out into the hall. "Hey, Jun? Can I borrow the computer for a while?"

Jun didn't look up from the laptop's screen. "Sorry, Davis. I've got to write a few more messages."

Davis grimaced, "Are they all to Matt?"

Jun nodded, "I've done three so far."

"THREE?" 

Jun sighed, "I just can't express my feelings in just one e-mail." He voice and gaze grew distant. Davis groaned. _Desperate times call for desperate measures._

He went to the front door where the mail slot was. He raised his voice slightly. "My, what's this? Why, it's a letter addressed to Jun, and it's from Matt, of all people!"

"WHAT?" Jun instantly left the computer and ran to the front door.

_Sometimes it's just too easy. _Davis ducked around his sister and made a run for the laptop. He snatched it off the table and ran like a man in fear for his life towards his room. Jun, realizing the deception, howled in rage and followed. Davis entered his room, closed the door, and locked it with just seconds to spare. 

Jun pounded on the door, "Davis, you little thief! Give that back! I still need to send e-mails to Matt!"

Davis called over the noise, "Sorry, Jun, but this is really important!"

Jun shouted, "When you come out of your room I swear I'm gonna make you regret that Mom and Dad ever decided to have a second child!"

Davis laughed nervously, "Don't worry, Jun. You're sacrifice won't be in vain or forgotten." _Maybe I should make out my will ahead of time_. Davis called, "I'm going to stop talking now. In fact, I might not make a sound for hours, so don't bother shouting at me or trying to come in." The sad thing was that Jun would probably believe that. He sighed, "Demiveemon, get up! We gotta go."

The little Digimon wiped away sand from his eyes, "Where are we going?"

Davis replied, "Primary Village. Now, come on! Digiport Open!" The computer light swallowed them while Jun continued to pound and shout threats at the door.

********

TK huffed, "Where are they? They're taking too long!" He was standing with Patamon in the Digital World, waiting for the TV screen to spill out the other Digidestined.

Patamon replied from on top of TK's head. "Maybe they couldn't get to a computer. It was pretty late, their parents might have sent them to bed."

TK sighed, "We might have to do this alone. We can't wait much longer." Suddenly, the digiport flashed on and something collided with TK, sending both him and Patamon to the ground. TK groaned.

"Hi, TK." Davis stood up. Veemon was with him.

"Hi yourself." TK winced and stood up. "A little warning next time would be nice."

Davis snapped, "Well don't stand so close to the digiport next time!"

Patamon said, "You guys! We don't have time to argue. We have to get going and help Elecmon."

TK asked, "Did you hear from any of the others?"

Davis shook his head, "No. I had to steal the computer from Jun to get here. I was lucky my parents were working late."

TK nodded. None of the other Digidestined had parents who worked late, so they were probably stuck at home. "Alright, we can't wait any longer. Let's go. Digiarmor energize!"

"Patamon armor digivolve to… Pegasusmon: Flying Hope!" 

TK mounted his Digimon and took off. "Come on, Davis!"

Davis nodded, "Digiarmor energize!"

"Veemon armor digivolve to… Raidramon: The Storm of Friendship!" Davis followed after TK.

********

Avatar surveyed the situation in Primary Village. Elecmon had been overpowered and tied up, and the Digimon babies were being corralled into small pens for holding. The sound of the babies crying was almost deafening. _Quiet, you brats. You do not realize how lucky you are. If it were not for these fools being here, I would slay you myself._

Elecmon was shouting, "How can you do this? This is the place where you were all born! How dare you attack here!" 

A Gotsumon explained, "Don't worry, Elecmon, as soon as we find what we're looking for, we'll let you and the digibabies go."

"And just what are we looking for?"

The Gotsumon blinked and was silent for a few moments. "Um, sir? Just what are we looking for anyway." Elecmon rolled his eyes, so did Avatar. _They didn't ask this question before hand?_

Avatar replied, "We are waiting for a very important ally to appear. Don't worry, as soon as our ally arrives, we will leave in peace." _Primary Village is of special significance to the Digidestined, they will definitely be here soon._

As if on cue, an explosion blossomed in the forest. _They're here!_

********

Pegasusmon flew along at an amazing speed, and TK could see Primary Village just beyond the forest's edge. There was a little smoke, but no major damage. Maybe Elecmon had been able to repel the attack.

A blue beam of energy shot out from among the trees and blew a small pothole near Raidramon. Davis and Raidramon were nearly knocked to the ground by the force of the blast. TK looked down to his right as a huge yellow lizard-type lumbered out of the forest and onto the path. His body was thick, muscular, and covered with veins. He had a brown helmet on his head with a curved spike coming out the top. Only one eye shown from under the helmet. The most distinguishing trait of this Digimon was that his right arm was three times thicker than his other limbs. His oversized limb made his movements awkward and slow. An armor shoulder-pad covered his right arm, and his tail was tipped with even more armor.

Pegasusmon said, "TK, that's Cyclonemon! He's a viral-type Digimon that uses his Hyper Heat attack to incinerate his enemies."

"Hyper Heat!" A sphere of blue energy grew within Cyclonemon's mouth, and he fired a beam at Pegasusmon. TK could feel the heat of the blast even as Pegasusmon dove out of the way.

Davis called up, "TK, you go ahead! Raidramon and I can handle this!"

TK nodded, "Good luck!" He and Pegasusmon flew ahead.

********

Avatar watched as Pegasusmon approached. _"My master, it is almost time. Please make ready the control spires."_

Another voice entered his mind. _"The spires are ready. Do not fail and waste my resources."_

"I shall not, Master." Avatar looked at Elecmon. "Make sure he cannot make a sound, then go into hiding. Attack on my signal." Avatar's followers nodded and set about to work.

********

Pegasusmon set down in the middle of Primary Village and TK disembarked. If conditions had been different, TK would have taken time to remember all the fun he'd had in Primary Village with Elecmon and the Digimon babies. But with the threat of attack so clear, TK focused all his senses on finding the invaders. 

Pegasusmon looked around, "I don't see anyone."

TK nodded, "Me neither. Could Elecmon have driven the enemy away while we were waiting?" 

Pegasusmon considered, "Elecmon is tough, but he wouldn't have called for help unless he needed it. I doubt he would have called us if he was able to deal with his attackers so easily."

TK sighed, "You're right, but it would be nice to not have to fight here." It was then that TK heard a muffled sound coming from around the corner. "Come on!" He and Pegasusmon ran down the street. Elecmon was sitting in the middle of the street. His legs were tied to his body, and a white cloth covered his mouth. He wiggled and squirmed to get free and he was shouting something at them, but the cloth made his words unintelligible.

"Elecmon!" TK ran up and pulled the cloth away from his friend's mouth.

Elecmon shouted, "It's a trap!" Suddenly, swarms of Digimon began to pour out from between the block-like buildings. TK suddenly found himself surrounded by dozens of Digimon varying in size, shape, and color. 

"Rain of Pollen!" Several Floramon fired their attacks. TK picked up Elecmon and made a run for Pegasusmon. 

"Crazy Crusher!" TK cried out as a Gotsumon threw a stone at his leg. The stone bounced off the back of TK's knee and he fell to the ground, dropping Elecmon in the process. 

"TK!" Pegasusmon took to the air, "Equis Beam!" He shot a beam of light from his head and drove back the Floramon. "Mane Wind!" Small darts sprung from his mane and sent a group of Pumpkinmon retreating. "Star Shower!" He used his most powerful attack to scare the Gotsumon away.

"Spiral Saw!" A Gizamon blindsided Pegasusmon with a blade attack and knocked him down. Pegasusmon reverted to Patamon. 

A Pumpkinmon shouted, "We've won! We beat a Digidestined!"

TK looked up to see the faces of all the hostile Digimon crowding around him. He winced as he tried to stand up, but his leg wouldn't support is weight. "Why are you doing this?"

The shouts started to come, "We don't want you here!"

"You Digidestined bring nothing but pain and misery!"

"You caused all those disasters, and we don't want you here anymore!"

TK asked, "But how can attacking Primary Village help all of you?"

A Kiwimon stepped up, "This is but a step towards our true destiny." TK's eyes widened as he looked at the Kiwimon's head and saw the strange headband that had controlled GrandKuwagamon! The Kiwimon looked over at Patamon, "If you want to save your master, digivolve."

TK growled, "I'm not Patamon's master, I'm his friend. I came here because I heard that Elecmon was in trouble. He's my friend too and I want to protect him! Do you really think that we Digidestined don't care about what happens to you Digimon? We all want to be your friends!" 

"Silence! Pummel Pack!" The Kiwimon fired a line of mini-Kiwimon out of his mouth. The tiny creatures smashed the ground around TK, and one grazed his shoulder, creating a long cut. The little Kiwimon dissolved after they impacted upon the ground. The larger Kiwimon again looked at Patamon. "Do you want to save him? Then Digivolve!"

TK's D3 began to shriek. "Patamon, don't!" But Patamon was already getting up, and he didn't look like he could be deterred. 

"Patamon digivolve to… Angemon!" All the other Digimon coward back as Angemon's light shone over Primary Village. Angemon raised his staff, "Angel Rod!" He threw it, and the spinning staff began to fly through the ranks of aggressive Digimon, knocking them aside. The staff curved around and cut a line through the other half of the mob until it returned to Angemon's hand. Angemon threw the rod again and again until only the Kiwimon was left standing. All the other Digimon lay dazed and confused on the ground. Angemon held up his staff as a threat. "Leave now, unless you want to fight me."

The Kiwimon laughed, "Really! Such narrow-minded tactics. You should know, it isn't always the strongest who holds the advantage!" The headband jumped off Kiwimon's head and latched onto Angemon's helmet. Angemon screamed and clutched his head while struggling to get the headband off him.

"Angemon!" TK tried to get up, but his leg gave out again. He began to crawl towards his friend. Within moments, Angemon stopped struggling. "Angemon? Angemon! Speak to me!"

Angemon smiled a cool, sinister smile. "I think it's time I properly introduced myself. You make call me Avatar, and Angemon is now mine." 

********

"Thunder Blast!" Raidramon fired another bolt of energy at Cyclonemon. The blue lightning burned against the creature's skin and caused it to shriek for a moment, but then it countered with another Hyper Heat attack. Raidramon jumped to side, but Davis could feel the heat of the attack even though it failed to connect. _He's too strong for an Armor Digimon. We've got to kick it up a notch!_ "Raidramon, let's go to Champion!"

"Right! Thunder Blast!" Raidramon blasted the ground at Cyclonemon's feet. A huge cloud of dust and debris clouded the larger Digimon's vision and sent it into a fit of coughs. Raidramon reverted back to Veemon. Davis pulled out his D3. "Veemon digivolve to… XVmon!"

Wasting no time, XVmon jumped through the dust cloud and delivered a kick to Cyclonemon's face. The evil Digimon fell on his side and was impeded by the size of his large claw. XVmon hovered over Cyclonemon and asked, "Are you ready to give up?"

Cyclonemon's response was to tilt his head upward, "Hyper Heat!" Another beam of blue energy shot from his mouth. XVmon dodged to the side and snarled in anger.

Davis called up, "We don't have time for this, TK might need us. If he's not going to quit then let's just leave him behind." Cyclonemon roared and grabbed at Davis with his smaller claw. 

"Davis!" XVmon's chest began to glow. "X Laser!" He fired a beam of energy that detonated upon impact with Cyclonemon. Davis was thrown back by the explosion. When the dust settled, Cyclonemon was gone. XVmon landed next to his partner. "I'm sorry, Davis, but if I didn't blast him, he would have gotten you."

Davis said, "It's okay, he didn't give you a choice. C'mon, we've got to get to Primary Village." He got on XVmon's shoulder, and they flew above the tree line. Davis could see something hovering over the village. It was large, white, and glowing. _Angemon?_

********

TK failed once again to get up on his injured leg. He called to Angemon, "Angemon? Angemon! Can you hear me?"

Avatar smiled, "He can hear you, but he can't reply. Angemon is now just a witness to what I do in his body. And what a powerful body it is." Avatar turned his head to look at something. TK followed his line of vision and saw XVmon flying towards them with Davis. Avatar said, "I believe it is time to test this new body." He flew towards XVmon.

TK shouted, "Davis, look out! Angemon is being controlled by that weird headband!"

"Hand of Fate!" Avatar fired Angemon's main attack. XVmon saw the attack coming and managed to dodge at the last minute. He flew down to the ground and quickly dropped Davis off before flying back into the air. 

"X Laser!" XVmon fired his attack, but Avatar just held up a hand and dispersed it with his own power. Undaunted, XVmon came at Avatar with a flying kick. Avatar ducked under the blow and drove his fist into XVmon's gut. Avatar then brought his Angel Staff up against XVmon's head and knocked him to the ground. XVmon rebounded off several toy-like buildings before reverting back to Veemon and landing on the street. Fortunately, the soft material of Primary Village cushioned his fall.

"Veemon!" Davis ran up and kneeled beside his friend. "Are you okay?"

Veemon nodded, "I'm okay, but I can't beat Angemon's power. He's too strong." Davis and Veemon ran over to TK.

TK said, "That headband that was controlling GrandKuwagamon is now on Angemon. He says his real name is Avatar."

Davis frowned, "We've got to get the headband off Angemon, but XVmon couldn't even get close enough to do it!"

Avatar laughed, "Your pathetic attempts to defeat me are comical at best. Now, witness my triumph! If you think I am powerful in this body, wait until you see what power an Ultimate Digimon possesses!" Avatar raised his hand, and suddenly the ground began to rumble.

Four control spires rose up from the ground just beyond Primary Village. Each one began to crackle and glow with dark energy. Black lighting jumped from the point of each spire and converged upon Avatar's headband. The dark lightning danced up and down Avatar's new body as he laughed insanely. His body began to glow and change shape.

"I guess I should say the line. Angemon dark digivolve to… MagnaAngemon!" The energy dissipated, and MagnaAngemon hovered over Primary Village. Just as MetalGreymon's colors had changed when he dark digivolved, so too had MagnaAngemon's. His body was now dark gray with raven black wings and black boots. His helmet, beam shield, and blade were bright red, and the ribbons encircling his body were dark blue. 

Davis gulped, "We're in big trouble."

TK called up, "MagnaAngemon! You have to fight it! Don't let Avatar control you!"

Avatar laughed, "No one can resist my control. Face it, Digidestined, you've lost. MagnaAngemon is now mine, and there isn't a thing you can do to stop me."

Davis balled his hands into fists, "Oh yeah?"

"Yes. I really should finish you now, but my master has a need of this body. I must be going. Besides, it's much more tantalizing to leave you alive and regretting your loss." He laughed and began to fly away."

TK screamed, "MagnaAngemon, come back! Patamon!" MagnaAngemon vanished into the distance. TK kept whispering, "Patamon, Patamon…" Davis reached down and looped TK's arm over his shoulder.

"C'mon, TK." He half-helped, half-carried TK to the side of a building and let him rest against the side. "We'll get Patamon back, I promise." His words didn't have an effect on TK, who seemed to be in a sort of trance. He was shivering all over, and his eyes were distant and unfocused. Davis took off his jacket and placed it around TK's shoulders, but he didn't think that would keep TK from shivering. 

Elecmon came running up, "Is TK alright?"

Davis shook his head, "No. Listen, we need to get the baby Digimon out of their pens. TK will be okay, I think." Elecmon nodded. Davis made quick introductions, then he, Veemon, and Elecmon set about freeing the digital babies while the Digimon who had invaded Primary Village began to wake up.

"Um… excuse me?" One of the aggressor Digimon came up to them with a forlorn expression on his face. "I-er-we would-would like to apologize. We thought that we would find a new guardian here, but instead we've only-"

"SAVE IT!" Davis shouted. "I don't care what your reasons were, you guys blew it. Just go home. We'll fix the mess you guys helped to create!" The other Digimon, including the Kiwimon that Avatar had once possessed, nodded solemnly and began to leave.

Elecmon said, "Way to tell them off."

Davis let out a quick breath, "I know they were being duped by that headband thing, Avatar, but they should have known better. What kind of an idiot follows someone else's orders without asking if it's right or wrong?"

Elecmon replied, "Aren't you the Digidestined leader? The others follow your orders, don't they?"

Davis gave a half-smile, "Only after they've questioned me two dozen times. C'mon, let's see how TK's doing." TK was in the same state as before. The baby Digimon, now freed from their pens, came bouncing up and began to comfort TK. They bounced around and made cheerful noises, some rubbed against his face or rested on his shoulders, but none of them were able to lift the aura of sadness that TK was giving off. 

Davis shook his head, "We've got to get Patamon back, or TK will never snap out of this."

Elecmon nodded, "Those two are very close. I still remember how they were four years ago."

Davis said, "Listen, I'm going to get back in touch with the other Digidestined. Could you stay with TK for a while?"

Elecmon nodded, "Of course. But please hurry." Davis nodded and ran off with Veemon. Elecmon ran up to TK, "TK, is there anything I can get you?" He wasn't sure what else to say.

TK replied numbly. "Water. I need water." Elecmon nodded and ran off. He returned no less than two minutes later, but TK was gone, leaving a group of worried baby Digimon behind. 

Elecmon called, "TK?" He began to search the village. "TK?" He wasn't anywhere to be found. "TK!"

********

Deep in the forest, alone and cold despite the flame-styled jacket he now wore, TK staggered on his wounded leg while moving more on will power than physical strength. "Patamon," he whispered, "I will save you."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 

Will TK find MagnaAngemon? Will Avatar be stopped? Does TK look good in Davis' jacket? Will Davis ever get his jacket back? Why am I talking like the Digimon announcer? More to the point, who cares? See you for Chapter 4.


	4. Friendship and Strength

Unheard Voice

Chapter 4: Friendship and Strength

by Silver

*Standard Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, its creatures, or characters.*

Author's Note: Once again, I apologize for not getting this chapter out sooner. I've been a little busy with the move back to college. 

Anyway, this chapter won't be as much about action as the last few chapters. I suppose it could pass as a friendship fic, but it's a very strange friendship fic. I try to explore some of TK's character flaws in this chapter, but it's hard. TK's not very flawed in 02, which makes it difficult to find room for improvement. Still, no human is completely perfect, so I did my best to try to evolve TK's character. Here's hoping you like it.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Davis sighed as he finished sending e-mails to the other Digidestined. They still hadn't arrived, and he was getting impatient. Things weren't looking good at Primary Village. Angemon had been possessed by that weird headband thingy, Avatar, which had sent TK into a numb state of shock. Primary Village itself was in a mild amount of chaos after the attack by the anti-Digidestined Digimon. The baby Digimon were all scared and confused as to why their fellow Digimon would attack them. The fact that four control spires bordered Primary Village didn't help much either. 

Davis still couldn't believe that Avatar had somehow used the control spires to make Angemon dark digivolve into MagnaAngemon, and a corrupt version of MagnaAngemon at that! Davis remembered the first time he'd seen a Digimon dark digivolve. It had been Greymon dark digivolving into SkullGreymon, thanks to the Digimon Emperor. Later, the Emperor had perfected the dark spirals, and used them to make Agumon dark digivolve into Metal Greymon. Had Avatar done something similar with MagnaAngemon? Davis didn't want to think about what might have happened if Angemon went purely viral like SkullGreymon. 

The digiterminal's ping brought Davis back to the present. Several e-mails have come in:

Davis,

I'm trying to get to the Digital World, but right now my Dad is on the computer playing solitaire with my Mother. I can't get to the computer. Please hold on.

    * Kari

Sorry, Davis, but my brother is surfing the net right now. I can't come to the Digital World just yet. 

    * Yolei

Davis, I'm sorry, but my mother has a strict "no surfing the net" policy after 7:00 p.m. I'm trying to sneak past her, but it's tough. It's like she has eyes in the back of her head. I will keep trying, please be patient. 

    * Cody

__

Great, just great! Davis turned off his digiterminal. _Why am I the only one who's good at sneaking around my family?_ Davis felt a slight bit of terror at the thought of what Jun would do to him when she got hold of him. She hadn't liked it when Davis had stolen the laptop away from her. 

He quickly keyed in an e-mail to Izzy, asking him to have Tentomon search for MagnaAngemon. They'd need to move fast if they were going to get him back, and they couldn't fight if they didn't know where to go. _This is going to take a miracle_. 

Davis looked up at the stars. Things were about as bad as they could get. He needed help. The others couldn't get to Primary Village right away, and TK needed their support. Davis knew that Kari was one of the few people that TK would listen to. _We need another team member_. He smiled as a thought occurred to him. He keyed a new message into his terminal. 

Ken,

We're in big trouble. We're at Primary Village and Angemon has been taken over by that weird headband. The others can't come right now, so TK and I need help. Please come right away.

-Davis

Davis looked at his partner, "Veemon, let's get rid of these control spires. They're ruining the view." 

Veemon nodded, "Right!" 

"Digiarmor-" Davis' shout was cut off as the ground began to rumble. Davis and Veemon looked on in surprise as all four control spires began to sink into the ground. They dropped out of sight in under a few seconds. Davis and Veemon ran to one of the newly opened hole in the ground and peered down into the darkness. There was no sign of the control spire. 

Davis' jaw hung near his knees, "Where'd they go?"

Veemon shrugged, "You're asking me?"

Davis let out a long breath, "This just isn't our night. C'mon, we need to get back to TK." He and Veemon ran back to where they had left TK and Elecmon. When they got there, however, they only saw Elecmon and the baby Digimon.

"Davis!" Elecmon ran up. "TK's gone!" 

"GONE?" Davis' jaw was even lower than before, "I'm barely gone ten minutes and he's gone? What is going on around here???" 

Elecmon sounded helpless, "H-he was in shock, and I offered to get him some water. I was only away for about two minutes, but he was gone when I got back. I can't believe how fast he is, given that bad leg of his. I'm sorry."

Davis held his hands up, "It's okay, Elecmon. It's not your fault." 

Veemon sniffed the air, "Davis, I think I can follow TK's scent."

Davis nodded, "Okay, change in plans. We'll worry about those stupid control spires later. Right now, Veemon and I will find TK. Elecmon, the other Digidestined will be here sooner or later, so why don't you wait for them here? We'll be back in no time."

Elecmon nodded, "Good luck."

"Digiarmor energize!" The digiegg of friendship appeared in the air.

"Veemon armor digivolve to… Raidramon: The Storm of Friendship!" Davis mounted his transformed partner and they set off on TK's scent. 

********

Avatar laughed as he soared over the landscape in MagnaAngemon's body. This was such an exhilarating feeling! The caress of the wind under his wings, the view of the scenery as it flashed by, and the feeling of power surging within his newly possessed body. This was the joy of physical form, the sheer exhilaration of being alive! Those foolish Digimon and humans didn't realize what a grand gift they had been given. The simple pleasure of being alive with a body to call one's own was a pleasure that had been denied to Avatar all his life. _Now I am in control of one of the most powerful Digimon in the Digital World. And soon I will possess a body even more perfect than this one._

Avatar had been more patient than most other creatures would have been in his position. He had been forced to wait four long years before he had been given a chance to truly live. He'd had to cower in the shadows, in possession of that weak human body, Lazio, while watching Digimon and Digidestined humans fritter away their lives with petty rivalries, conflicts, and greed. None of them could appreciate how blessed they were to simply be alive. But Avatar knew what a great gift life was, because it was something that he had to earn, it would not be given to him on a silver platter. 

Lazio… That name brought back memories. Lazio had been Avatar's "host" practically since the day of his creation. Avatar had been created by his master a few months after the defeat of the Dark Masters, and Lazio had been conveniently nearby for possession. While possessing the human, Avatar had had access to all of Lazio's memories. The old man had once been a member of the sacred order that had created the digivices, tags, and crests, just as the Digidestined's ally Gennai had been. 

When Piedmon had attacked the Order's base and stolen the tags and crests, he had also captured Lazio in the hopes of learning where Gennai might have hidden the digieggs of the Digidestined. Lazio had survived an interminable period of torture under Piedmon's sadistic care, and when he refused to betray his friend Gennai, Piedmon locked Lazio in a cell deep within Spiral Mountain. That was where Avatar and his master had found Lazio four months after the Dark Masters had been destroyed. 

Avatar had to admit that he had felt a certain kinship with Lazio due to their mutual hatred of Piedmon and the Dark Masters. Piedmon had taken Lazio's life away from him, and Piedmon had taken away the life that Avatar would have had. Still, that kinship hadn't been enough to keep Avatar from killing the old man. After all, he knew too much. 

Avatar heard a loud gurgle. He looked around, but there wasn't a thing in sight. A second gurgling sound made him realize that it was his stomach growling. _I am… hungry_. What a curious sensation.

Avatar flew down towards a nearby forest. He knew that his master would be cross at him for not returning to headquarters right away, but the temptation to indulge was too strong for Avatar to resist. He was sure that his master would forgive him for a little tardiness, once he saw how useful MagnaAngemon would be to their plans. _I'll just enjoy a light snack, then move on with all haste._

He landed among a mass of apple trees and began to pick the fruit. He took a bite, and savored the wet, juicy taste of the apple's delicate skin. He swallowed, and let out a small sigh as he felt the morsel tickle its way down his throat. It was a curious and exhilarating sensation. He ate at a slow, rapturous pace as he feasted on one apple after another. Eventually, he was so full that his stomach actually hurt, but he reveled in the sensation. Even small amounts of pain were a unique and tantalizing experience for him. He went to a nearby stream and drank from its cool clean water. This was truly paradise for him. 

Avatar took a moment to congratulate himself for his brilliant plan. It had been a plan born of desperation and resentment. After losing GrandKuwagamon, Avatar had been all-too eager to come up with a new plan in order to keep favor with his master. It was then that Avatar had remembered Angemon, and the threat of his digivolving into an Ultimate during the previous battle. Avatar had never seen MagnaAngemon, but his strength was legendary. Avatar had concluded that MagnaAngemon, with all his incredible power, would best suit his needs. 

The problem was getting a Patamon to digivolve all the way into MagnaAngemon. Usually, if a Patamon dark digivolved, he would become Devimon. Angemon and Devimon were just two different sides of the same coin, an inherent risk in digivolving. Even if Devimon was powerful, Angemon was stronger. 

Avatar had determined that if he could force Patamon to digivolve into Angemon on his own, then Avatar could force a dark digivolution into Ultimate on his own with little danger of corrupting the body. That was how he'd planned to use Primary Village as bait to lure Patamon into his clutches. Now, everything was going according to plan, and his triumph was immanent. 

He suddenly felt very tired. The idea of sleep, a peaceful rest from his own thoughts and activities, was as enticing as the food. _The master will not mind. I shall not sleep long. Just a short nap._ He leaned against a tree and closed his eyes. Soon, the sweet, caressing darkness of slumber overtook him.

********

TK felt cold and hungry and sore as he limped across the meadow near Primary Village. A cold wind came over him, and he pulled Davis' jacket tighter around his shoulders. The flame design helped TK conjure up warmer thoughts. He was making good time, given his wound. _Patamon, I'll be with you soon. Hang on. Please hang on._ He had to get his partner back. Patamon was his best friend, he meant the world to TK. They'd been through so much together. Losing Patamon was like losing a part of TK himself. _I'll get him back_.

He stumbled and fell to his knees with a loud cry. The world blurred around him as he began to crawl forward. There was only one clear thing to him: Patamon. He had to get Patamon back! He couldn't stand the thought of his partner being controlled by a dark power. Devimon, Piedmon, Avatar, they were all the same. They were all evil creatures, and TK hated each and every one of them! Devimon had stolen Angemon away from TK once, and Piedmon had chased TK and Kari in a twisted game of hide and seek throughout Spiral Mountain. Avatar was no different. There was no way TK was going to leave his partner and best friend under the control of one of those… those… things!

"TK!" TK turned around and saw Davis and Raidramon running up to him. Davis smiled, "TK, there you are! We've been looking for you. Can I have my jacket back?" He slid off Raidramon and ran up. "C'mon, we've got to go back to Primary Village. The others will be coming, um, sooner or later." He laughed nervously.

Davis' voice sounded partly muted in TK's ears. He shook his head, "No, I have to find Patamon." He turned to leave.

Davis kept talking, "Hey, don't worry, we'll get Patamon back. You just gotta relax and wait." He placed a hand on TK's shoulder.

"NO!" TK threw Davis hand off and shoved him away.

"HEY!" Davis started to look angry, but that didn't deter TK. He turned around and continued onward. Davis growled, "TK, will you listen?" TK just kept walking. Davis shouted, "That's it! No body ignores me!" He jumped forward and tackled TK from behind. TK fell flat on his chest as Davis pinned him to the ground. "Now, you listen to me! You can't go help Patamon with a hurt leg. You need to wait for the others."

TK's body trembled. He'd had it. All his anger at Avatar found a new target in Davis. "GET OFF!" He pushed off the ground and brought his head up, slamming it into Davis' forehead. Davis cried out and fell off TK's back. 

Davis began to stand up, but TK tackled him before he could recover. TK drove him to the ground and punched him across the jaw. Davis blinked in surprise at TK's change in mood, then lunged forward and shoved TK him off.

Raidramon stepped forward, "Davis, TK, stop it! You're friends, you shouldn't fight!"

Davis risked a shout, "Stay out of this, Raidramon!" He slung his right fist at TK. TK ducked under it and punched Davis in the rib cage. Davis grunted and drove his knee into TK's belly. TK shouted and hit Davis in lip, causing it to split. 

TK moved in to finish Davis off. In desperation, Davis put everything into one final punch. He hit TK right in the nose, resulting in a small squirt of blood. TK cried out and fell to the ground. He half-expected Davis to get up and continue the attack, but Davis was lying on the ground as well, pressing a hand to his bleeding lip. TK pinched his nose, trying to stop the bleeding. For a moment they sat there in silence, eyeing each other warily.

Then, Davis smiled, "Y-you've got a mean left hook."

TK blinked in surprise, then smiled just slightly, "So do you." His expression sobered, and TK felt more in-tune with the world. His anger subsided. "I-I'm sorry, Davis."

Davis waved a hand, "What are you apologizing for? I hit you first."

TK shook his head, "But I was the one who started this. I'm sorry. It's just that I'm so worried about Patamon, I can't stand the fact that he's under the control of some dark freak like Avatar."

Davis' voice grew serious, "TK, we'll get Patamon back, just believe that we can do it. You're not in this alone." TK couldn't help but smile at the fact that _Davis_was the one making this speech. Not too long ago, Davis had been the loner of the group, but he was learning teamwork fast. Davis looked at the blood on his hand. "Heh, we haven't come close to fighting like this since MetalGreymon." 

TK lowered his head, "I'm sorry about that too."

Davis frowned, "What for?"

TK replied, "I was being such a jerk during that. Remember? I wanted to use you as a decoy, saying that we could do without you. I didn't mean that, Davis, I really didn't."

Davis said, "I know you didn't mean it. You were worried about Patamon and Agumon, we all were. Remember how I couldn't bring myself to fight MetalGreymon? If it wasn't for Patamon and everyone else, I wouldn't have been able to fight. That's why we're stronger as a team. It's okay to be afraid or sad, because we'll stand by you no matter what."

TK shook his head, "But when you're afraid or angry, you don't lash out at people, I do."

"What do you mean?"

TK began to list examples, "When Kari was trapped in that dark dimension, I was so scared and worried about her. I didn't know if she was hurt, or lost, or even alive. I was so torn up inside that I just rushed off on my own without you or Yolei or Cody."

Davis hadn't liked that little adventure. He'd hated the fact that he hadn't been able to help Kari, and he had been a little jealous of TK's being the hero. Still, now wasn't the time to mention that. TK's depression over Patamon was making him question himself, and that wasn't going to help the situation at all. Davis forced himself to think up a defense for TK. "But you saved Kari when the rest of us couldn't even find her."

TK said, "But it was because I was so scared for Kari that I fought so hard and acted so bull-headed. The smart thing would have been to take everyone with me to the beach."

Davis said, "Come on, TK. You're still wasting time on what you 'could have done.' Maybe it would have been smarter to take us with you, but you 'could have' lost time doing that and arrived too late to help Kari. You did the best you could at the moment, and you ended up saving Kari, you should be proud of that."

TK looked Davis in the eyes, "And what about Ken? When I saw that he was using Devimon's power, I was so mad, and I beat him up pretty good."

Davis replied, "He had it coming at the time. You saved Kari and Yolei from Kimeramon by taking care of Ken."

TK shook his head, then winced as he remembered his bloody nose, "But I never used to like fighting. I once told Elecmon that I didn't want to fight, ever. I-it's just so mad at the time. When I'm mad, I lose control. I keep all my anger bottled up, deep inside of me, and when I get pushed too far, I lose control and lash out at whatever's near me." 

Davis was silent for a moment as he tried to think of something to say. Then, he thought of something, "Well, why not use me as a release?"

TK blinked, "What?"

"Well, when you feel like you're going to explode, you come see me and vent a while. You and I can argue, curse, blame each other, even fight if you want to."

TK couldn't believe his ears, "Why in the world are you saying this?" 

Davis said, "I know what it's like to keep things bottled up and hidden. I've been doing it for a long time. Believe me, it doesn't help. I'm willing to help you vent, because most people wouldn't notice if the two of us started arguing again. And since I know you're just venting, I won't take it personally… probably."

TK sighed, "Thanks, Davis. That's very kind of you, but, truth is, I've used you to vent once or twice before."

"… What?" 

TK smiled at Davis' stunned surprise, "Remember the basketball game just before you got Veemon to digivolve into a Champion? You were boasting about how good you were, and it ticked me off a little. I let my anger get ahead of me a little and I decided to take you down a peg. That's why I knocked you to the ground and did my best to outplay you. Sorry."

Davis rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah, well, I was acting pretty full of myself. I guess I had it coming. But that doesn't change anything, you can still vent if you want to. I won't mind, really. We'll just argue real quick, and then walk away to calm down. No one will suspect anything, it'll be our secret."

TK considered, "…Well, okay. But only if you're sure."

"I am."

"Thanks again, Davis. If there's a way I can repay you-" 

Davis smiled, "Actually, there is. Don't tell anyone you and I are actually getting along. It'll be harder for me to win Kari over if she thinks we're actually friends." 

TK laughed, "How do you figure that?"

Davis shrugged, "I dunno, I just do. Thinking's not my favorite hobby. I trust my instincts." 

TK said, "Davis, I think you're a little too afraid of me when it comes to me and Kari." 

"What?" Davis was suddenly defensive. "I-I'm not afraid!"

TK smiled, "Yes you are. You've been worried that I've been moving in on Kari since the first day I came to school and sat next to her." 

Davis frowned, "Well… I admit I was a little worried when some complete stranger sat down next to her and started to act like her best friend."

"I am one of her best friends."

Davis replied, "Yeah, but I didn't know that. I knew Kari for about a year before you came back, and I thought we were pretty good friends." TK gave him a skeptic look. Davis sighed, "Okay, okay, I thought she was my girlfriend. But then you came out of nowhere and suddenly I got the shaft. She stopped spending time with me and started hanging around you. That… hurt."

TK nodded, "I didn't mean to shove you aside, Davis. It's just… well…" TK took a deep breath. "My mom and I have moved around a lot, because of my mom's job. That means that I don't get to make many friends, and I lose touch with the few people I do know. Kari's one of the few constant friends in my life, which makes her all the more important to me. She's my oldest friend, and I care about her. Maybe someday we will be 'more than friends' but right now she's just a dear friend to me. She's not my girlfriend yet."

Davis asked, "Just how did you meet Kari anyway? You guys never told me."

TK explained, "I first met Kari when Myotismon attacked Odaiba. I was really happy to have another kid my age on the Digidestined. It's hard being the youngest sometimes. We didn't talk much at first, Kari mainly stuck to Tai. But, after she got sick and we defeated the Dark Master Machinedramon, we became good friends. It didn't last all that long, because we defeated Piedmon and Apocalymon and went home. My mom and I moved away shortly after that. But I got to see Kari every year, when the Digidestined gathered for our anniversary. She and I became good friends, and I was always happy to see her. You can't imagine how happy I was when I found out we were moving back to Odaiba, and that I'd get to see Kari and Tai and Matt again."

TK's voice grew sad. "Actually, Davis, I'm kind of afraid of you too."

Davis blinked, "Huh?"

TK said, "I see how eager you are to be Kari's boyfriend, and I worry a little. Kari doesn't think you're a total jerk, just a little off the wall. If you two did become closer, I'm worried that I'd lose my oldest friend. I don't want that to happen. I know that sounds selfish."

Davis shook his head, "Naw, that's not selfish. That's kind of how I felt when she started spending all her time with you. I felt like I was losing my friend. But, I decided on my walkabout that I'd stop trying to force my way into being her boyfriend, and focus on being her friend instead. I still really like her, and I really want to go on a date with her someday, but right now I'm okay with being just friends."

TK nodded, "Kari means a lot to both of us, doesn't she?" 

Davis agreed. "Yeah." He held out his hand, "Look, I'll make you a deal. Even if Kari and I do start going out, I promise that she won't stop being your friend. Okay?" 

TK took his hand, "And I promise that if Kari and I start dating, we won't give you the shaft either. Friends no matter what?"

Davis smiled, "Friends, no matter what!" They both laughed. Davis slid off the Digivolution Crystal from around his neck and handed it to TK. "One other thing. When we get Patamon back, I think you should try for a crystal digivolution. That's what my gut says, anyway."

TK looked at the crystal hesitantly. He wasn't sure he was in the right state to use it. Gennai had told Davis that using the crystal while your heart was in turmoil could lead to a disaster. _Am I ready for it, especially now?_ TK took the crystal, the only way he'd know was if he gave it his best try. TK handed Davis back his jacket.

"Thanks," Davis put it back on. "I felt weird without it. Raidramon, let's get going back to Primary Village." 

Raidramon, who had been watching the fight and the ensuing talking in complete silence, shook his head. "You humans are so confusing. What minute, you're fighting, the next, you're acting like best friends."

********

By the time TK and Davis returned to Primary Village, Ken, Kari, Yolei, and Cody had all managed to find their way to the Digital World. Everyone ran up to greet them as they slid off Raidramon. Kari's eyes widened when she saw the dried blood on TK and Davis' faces. "What happened to you two?"

TK smiled wearily, "Nothing, really. We just had a little accident." Raidramon grumbled something under his breath. 

Elecmon came up, "I brought everyone up to speed on what is happening. We haven't heard any word on where MagnaAngemon is."

Yolei smiled at TK, "Don't worry, we'll get him back." 

Cody nodded, "That's right." 

Even Ken said, "It should be easy for all six of us to destroy that headband, Avatar."

Kari took TK's hand, "Please don't worry." 

Davis smiled, "Yeah, we'll kick butt!" 

TK smiled, feeling tears in his eyes, "Thanks, everyone." 

Just then, Davis' digiterminal chimed. He took it out and read it, then smiled, "It's from Izzy, he says that Tentomon's found MagnaAngemon. He's in a forest on the continent of Folder."

TK asked, "Where's Folder?"

Elecmon said, "It's a small continent near File Island. It's in the opposite direction of Server, that's why you never saw it."

Ken said, "If our Digimon digivolve into their Champion forms, we should make good time."

Elecmon nodded, "It should be about three hours." 

TK noticed that Elecmon wasn't edgy around Ken, the former Digimon Emperor. "Um, Elecmon, have you met Ken?"  
Elecmon's expression hardened. "I'd heard of the Digimon Emperor before, but never met him. However, Ken came to Primary Village once before to find Wormmon. I watched him, and when I saw him reunite with his Digimon, I knew that Ken was no longer the ruthless Digimon Emperor I had heard of. I don't think he will cause trouble."

Ken bowed slightly, "Thank you."

Davis frowned, "Uh, guys? Tentomon says that MagnaAngemon isn't moving. He-he's asleep. What the heck?" 

Yolei was equally confused, "Avatar took over MagnaAngemon so he could take a nap?"

Cody shook his head, "I don't think that's the reason, Yolei."

TK said, "Whatever the reason, we should get going. This could be our only chance to get MagnaAngemon back!"

Davis nodded, "Right, let's get moving." Raidramon reverted back to Veemon, and Davis pulled out his D3.

"Veemon digivolve to… XVmon!" 

"Hawkmon digivolve to… Aquillamon!" 

"Wormmon digivolve to… Stingmon!" 

Kari called out, "Digiarmor energize!" 

"Gatomon armor digivolve to… Nefertimon: The Angel of Light!" Cody and Armadillomon mounted Aquillamon with Yolei, and TK rode behind Kari on Nefertimon. Elecmon and the baby Digimon waved them goodbye and good luck as the Digidestined set out to get back their important ally, and dear friend.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The final chapter of "Unheard Voices" will be a real blast. It's an all-out fight between the Digidestined and MagnaAngemon. Just how are they going to get him back you ask? You'll just have to be patient.


	5. Faith and Joy

Unheard Voices

Chapter 5: Faith and Joy

by Silver

*Standard Disclaimer: I don't own rights to Digimon or its creatures and characters.*

Author's Notes: For all my faithful fans who waited for this chapter, you're patients is greatly appreciated. I've finally finished the last chapter of "Unheard Voices." 

I'll be using Stingmon's Japanese attack (Spiking Finish) instead of his American attack (Spiking Strike). I've also changed XVmon's attack from V Laser to X Laser, because it really is shaped like an X. 

Digimon really knocked me for a loop when I found out that the 01 Digimon can't reach Ultimate level anymore. Considering that both MagnaAngemon and Angewomon are in this story, I feel a little out of place. Still, the Crystal Digimon Saga is an alternate story line that takes place after "Genesis of Evil," so I guess I can change the rules. *Power trip!* Please review and let me know what you think.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TK held on tight to Kari's waist as Nefertimon soared along the continent of Folder. The Digidestined were close to where Tentomon had said MagnaAngemon was sleeping. With luck, they could sneak up on Avatar and remove his headband, freeing MagnaAngemon from his control. 

Kari called back, "You feeling okay?"

TK nodded, "Yeah." Actually, TK did feel better. It felt good to be going into a fight with his friends backing him up. TK has always figured that since he was the most experienced of the Digidestined, he had to do the hard things on his own. That was why he had attacked Ken alone during Kimeramon's attack. But now, when TK needed help to handle something bigger than him, he had his friends to back him up. That meant more to him than anything in the world.

Up ahead, Davis held up a hand to signal everyone to stop. The Digimon came to halt and gathered around to plan a strategy. Davis said, "XVmon says that he can smell MagnaAngemon, so we're close. We need to think of a way to get Avatar's headband off MagnaAngemon without starting a fight. I don't wanna have to hurt our buddy." Everyone nodded in agreement. They'd all had enough of this scenario when they had battled MetalGreymon.

Ken spoke up, "What about Hawkmon?"

Hawkmon blinked, "Me?"

Ken nodded, "You could armor digivolve into Shurimon and sneak up on Avatar. With some luck, you could slice off his headband without having to fight MagnaAngemon."

TK nodded, "That's a good plan." 

Hawkmon said, "I am more than willing to do this."

Cody said, "The rest of us should stay close in case anything goes wrong." Everyone agreed. 

Davis held up a fist, "Okay, let's get MagnaAngemon back!"

Yolei took out her D3 and digiterminal. "Digiarmor energize!"

"Hawkmon armor digivolve to… Shurimon: The Samurai of Sincerity." Shurimon used his spring-like legs to jump ahead of the group. Yolei rode on XVmon with Davis, and Cody and Armadillomon rode with Ken on Stingmon.

********

Shurimon crept up on MagnaAngemon without a sound. The large Ultimate was still asleep with Avatar's headband fixed directly onto his visor. Shurimon jumped from treetop to treetop. The ground had too many twigs to snap and leafs to crunch. The "high road" was much quieter. _He won't know I'm here until it's too late_. Shurimon prided himself on his stealth skills. 

He crouched on a tree limb hanging near MagnaAngemon. _Say goodbye to your host, Avatar_. "Double Star!" Shurimon's left hand began to spin into a blade and his arm lashed out towards Avatar's headband. It two seconds, it would all be over.

Suddenly, MagnaAngemon's hand snapped up and grabbed Shurimon's arm by the wrist. "WHAT?" Shurimon managed a quick outcry of surprise before Avatar yanked him out of the tree and tossed him on the ground.

Avatar let go of Shurimon's arm. "I sensed your energy a mile away. Your efforts to take me by surprise have been in vain."

Shurimon nodded, "So I see. Very well, I shall simply have to apply the direct approach." He jumped in at Avatar, "Double Star!"

********

Avatar felt a new sensation surge throughout his new body as Shurimon jumped towards him. This was the thrill of combat, a feeling felt by all living creatures, whether they enjoyed it or not. Avatar ignited MagnaAngemon's energy blade and sliced in at Shurimon. Their blades clashed and Avatar managed to repel Shurimon. The ninja tumbled backwards towards a tree, but quickly managed to turn his free fall into a flip and rebounded off the tree's trunk. Shurimon flew in at Avatar once again. "Double Star." He threw the large shuriken on his back. Avatar held up his beam shield and deflected the large dart, which returned to Shurimon's hand. Avatar took to the air and brought his knee up into Shurimon. His knee was almost larger than Shurimon's entire body, and the blow sent the armor Digimon flying. 

"And now to finish this." Avatar felt a slight twinge of disappointment at what an easy victory he had achieved. He brought his energy blade up.

"Spiking Finish!" Avatar turned around just in time to deflect Stingmon's energy stinger away. Undaunted, Stingmon brought his weapon around again and lunged at Avatar. Avatar used his energy blade to counter and initiated an awkward duel between the two Digimon. _Yes, more energy, more thrills!_ Avatar laughed. He could see XVmon, Ankylomon, and Nefertimon approaching. The Digidestined weren't far behind. Avatar smiled with glee. _I can capture the children of Hope and Light in one felled swoop! _Things were getting better and better.

Avatar parried another blow from Stingmon and thrust his blade at the insect Digimon. The blade managed to cut a shallow wound in Stingmon's left arm. The other Digimon backed off while nursing his wound.

"Rosetta Stone!" Nefertimon hurled several stone tablets. Avatar slashed two with his blade and deflected the other with his beam shield. 

"X Laser!" XVmon fired his attack. Rather than deflect it, Avatar chose to fly out of the way.

"Tail Hammer!" Ankylomon threw several spiked maces from his tail. Avatar batted them away like baseballs. He felt a fresh stab of disappointment. These weaklings were no challenge. He could destroy them in a moment if he chose. In fact, that might be a pleasant experience.

Avatar raised his sword above his head and began to bring in around in a large circle. 

********

TK cried, "MagnaAngemon, stop it!" He felt so helpless against Avatar, who was controlling his best friend. Could MagnaAngemon even hear him? Suddenly, TK noticed how MagnaAngemon was looping his arm around. TK shouted to the other Digimon, "Everyone, get out of the way! He's going to use his special attack!"  
A golden gate materialized in the air and opened to reveal a portal of energy. "Gate of Destiny!" A massive beam shot out of the gate. All the Digimon scattered out of the way, but the shockwave still sent them reeling. Nefertimon bore the worst of it and was forced to revert back to Gatomon. She fell helplessly.

"Gatomon!" Kari cried, "Digivolve!" The crest of light shined on her chest.

"Gatomon digivolve to… Angewomon." The newly digivolved angel took to the air again. Kari heaved a sigh of the relief. TK grew more and more uneasy with the situation. None of the Digimon could stand up to MagnaAngemon's power, and Avatar was too good a fighter to be caught off guard. _Maybe we should retreat_.

********

Meanwhile, Angewomon squared off against Avatar. "Avatar, release MagnaAngemon or face destruction."

Avatar laughed, "A very bold claim, my dear. Care to live up to your boast?" He took up a ready stance. Angewomon flew in and lunged for Avatar's headband with both hands. _Careless._Avatar grabbed her by the arm and flung her in a circle before releasing her. Angewomon careened out of control. She slammed into the ground and disappeared in a cloud of dust.

"Angewomon!" The child of light was running towards her fallen partner. Avatar smiled. This was the perfect opportunity. He flew in towards the child.

"Celestial Arrow!" Avatar barely had time to swerve to the side as several arrows of white light darted past him. Angewomon emerged from the dust cloud. Avatar grimaced. _She's tougher than I gave her credit for. _Avatar brandished his energy blade and flew in again.

Angewomon fired several more arrows. Avatar deflected one away with his shield, and cut another with his blade, but the third one slipped past his guard and pierced his shoulder.

"MagnaAngemon!" The child of hope cried from below. Avatar bit back a curse and drove in at Angewomon. He slashed at her head but Angewomon dove to the side and quickly flew back to gain ground. Diving to the right, Angewomon fired several more arrows. Avatar dodged to the right and flew on a path parallel to Angewomon's. Then, he dove to the side and brought his blade down at Angewomon. The female angel dodged the blow and drove her fist into Avatar's gut. Avatar grunted and brought his own hand up, delivering a blow to Angewomon's head. The force of the blow knocked Angewomon off balance and she lost control of her flight. She fell towards the ground. 

Avatar brought his blade around. "Gate of Destiny!" The portal formed once again and spewed lethal energy. _In a moment, you'll be dead_. Avatar smiled as the stream of power reached hungrily for Angewomon. Suddenly, a blue blur flashed by and pushed Angewomon out of the way. The blast of energy impacted on the ground without taking a single life. Avatar looked slightly lower. XVmon was hovering in the air with Angewomon in his arms. 

"Angewomon?" XVmon sounded concerned, "Are you alright?" 

Angewomon groaned, put a hand on her head, then nodded. "Thanks."

Avatar took advantage of the moment and dove in to attack. As long as he was holding Angewomon, XVmon couldn't use his X Laser attack. Avatar raised his hand, doubled the length of his blade, and-

"Spiking Finish!" Stingmon interposed himself between Avatar and his targets and began to duel with Avatar again. _Why won't they just die?_ Avatar backpedaled and created another gate. "Gate of Destiny!" The Digimon scattered once again, but the gate was too close for them to avoid the full force of the blast. XVmon, Stingmon, and Angewomon reverted back Veemon, Wormmon, and Gatomon under the force of the blast. All three of them tumbled to the ground. Avatar laughed.

The Digidestined ran towards their fallen Digimon. Avatar dove down once again, strait at the child of light. Before any of the Digidestined could react, Avatar landed and snatched the girl up.

"KARI!" The child of hope cried.

"TK! Davis! Help!" Avatar took a certain pleasure in hearing their cries.

The child of courage and friendship shouted. "Let her go!" 

Avatar smiled and shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't do that. Farewell, Digidestined. Thank you for allowing me to accomplish my mission." He laughed and began to lift away from the ground with the child of light firmly in his grasp. 

"Grand Horn!" Avatar felt a painful blow delivered to his back. He was so taken off-guard that he dropped the child of light. Avatar whirled around to see that Shurimon had become Aquillamon, and he was currently diving in to attack. 

Meanwhile, Ankylomon charged in and caught the child of light on his shell and carried her to her friends. 

********

"KARI!" TK half-ran, half-limped up to his friend. His heart had dropped to a dead stop the instant Avatar had come down and picked her up. _This is all my fault. Kari and the others are in danger because I couldn't protect Patamon._ His gut twisted with guilt. "Are you alright?"

Kari nodded. She was a bit wobbly from the experience. "I-I'm okay."

TK looked at the others. "Guys, we have to withdraw."

"WHAT?" Davis growled, "But what about MagnaAngemon?"

TK said, "I want to get MagnaAngemon, but I don't want to lose any more friends in the process. None of our Digimon can beat MagnaAngemon's power, and Avatar is just too good a fighter for us to slip in and get the headband. We need to come up with a plan. Maybe we can set a trap."

Davis shook his head, "We might not get a second chance at this. We have to keep fighting!" Everyone looked at the last two Digimon that were fighting Avatar.

"Ring Blaster!"

"Tail Hammer!" Aquillamon and Ankylomon's attacks struck Avatar in unison. Avatar crossed his arms to shield himself from the blast. The attacks didn't even dent his body. Avatar lashed out and grabbed Aquillamon's talon. He swung the bird Digimon into Ankylomon and knocked them both the ground.

TK gestured to the fallen Digimon, "Our Digimon just aren't strong enough. Staying here would be suicide!" 

Davis said, "TK, no offense, but you give up way too easily. We've got to give this our best shot. Patamon's counting on us!" 

Ken stepped forward. "Davis is right." Everyone's eyes tripled in size at Ken's remark. Not only was Ken supporting Davis, but he had also used his first name. "We have to give this fight everything we have in order to get MagnaAngemon back.."

Davis nodded, "Yeah, that's right!" He looked at Veemon. "Wadda say, buddy? Feel up to another digivolve?"

Veemon nodded, "Yeah! You bet!"  
Gatomon raised a claw, "I'll digivolve again too!"

Wormmon nodded, "And me!"

TK looked at his friends. "Everyone…"

Ken said, "We know this is the right thing to do, and we'll do everything we can to help you." Suddenly, a soft red glow emanated from Ken's pocket. He reached in and pulled out the crest of kindness. "What?" The crest floated into the air and hovered over the Digidestined. 

The crest's glow changed from soft red to bright gold. The crest began to shift and mold into a larger object. Davis was the first one to realize what it was transforming into. "The golden digiegg!" The digiegg of miracles glowed brightly in front of the Digidestined.

Kari's voice was filled with awe. "The crest of kindness is the golden digiegg?" 

TK could hardly believe it himself, but when the thought about it, it actually made sense. When Davis had first unlocked the power of the golden digiegg, it had shown the crest of kindness on its surface. After Magnamon had defeated Kimeramon and reverted back to Demiveemon, the golden digiegg had vanished, and Davis had just _happened_ to find the crest of kindness right next to Demiveemon. _The golden digiegg must have reverted back into a crest after Magnamon defeated Kimeramon. Why didn't we think of that before?_

The golden digiegg flowed over to Davis. "I guess I can still use it. Veemon, let's do it!"

Veemon cheered, "Ready when you are."

Davis nodded, "Give this fight everything you've got. Golden armor energize!" The digiegg flashed with even more brilliance.

"Veemon golden armor digivolve to… Magnamon!" 

********

Avatar looked down at Hawkmon and Armadillomon, who had reverted back to their rookie forms after losing consciousness. It had been such an easy fight. Aside from Angewomon's attack, it had been a very simple battle. None of the Champion Digimon could match his strength. That made the fight seem empty somehow. 

Just then, a bright light flashed over the landscape. Avatar turned around and instantly had to shield his eyes from the glare. _This light is hideous._ His eyes adjusted to the golden light, and he saw a new Digimon floating in front of him. It was an Armor Digimon by the looks of it, but he was incredibly powerful. Avatar recognized this Digimon. The Armor Digimon that could compete on the same level as an Ultimate, and possibly a Mega: Magnamon.

Magnamon said, "Avatar, I'm your only opponent now. Let's dance." He took up a fighting position. 

Avatar laughed, "As you wish." Magnamon charged forward with his fist cocked back. Avatar lashed out with his energy blade but Magnamon had apparently anticipated that move. The instant Avatar stabbed his hand forward, Magnamon flipped higher into the air and rebounded off Avatar's arm.

"Magna Punch!" Magnamon delivered a blow right to Avatar's chin. Avatar's head reeled back, exposing his headband. Magnamon drove forward to strike. "Magna Kick!" Avatar brought his right arm up and batted Magnamon aside before he could connect. _Impressive._

Magnamon regained control of his flight and turned to face Avatar. He just barely had time to dodge to the right as Avatar slashed at him with his energy blade. "Magna Blast!" Golden rays of energy leapt from Magnamon's armor. The beams struck against Avatar's shoulder. Avatar screamed in pain. Behind his visor, Avatar's eyes burned with hatred. _I'll kill him!_

Magnamon, meanwhile, had landed on the ground and was regaining his bearings. Avatar screamed in at him with is blade poised to strike. Magnamon jumped back just as the energy blade penetrated the ground. "What's the matter, Avatar? You're so slow!"

"SILENCE!" Avatar sliced downward again, and Magnamon just barely jumped out of the way in time. They continued like that for some time. Avatar would try to cut Magnamon in two, and Magnamon would evade his blade with just seconds to spare.

"Magna Blast!" Magnamon fired a beam of energy at the ground in front of him, kicking up a large cloud of dust in the process. He vanished from Avatar's sight. _Coward!_ Avatar expected Magnamon to fly away and gain some distance, but instead he dove through the dust cloud feet first. "Magna Kick!" He drove both his feet into Avatar's belly. Avatar groaned and began to fall back. Magnamon shifted around and began to punch Avatar relentlessly. It was obvious that he was trying to break down Avatar's defenses before attacking his headband, but Avatar would not give him such an opportunity. 

But just then, Avatar noticed that the force of Magnamon's punches was decreasing. He was running low on energy. _He has the advantage of speed and nimbleness, but I have greater stamina and power. This battle is mine!_ He brought his knee forward and kicked Magnamon away. Magnamon bounced to a stop on the ground a good distance away. "It is time to end this, Magnamon. Gate of Destiny!" The gate materialized once again, but instead of releasing a stream of energy, it began to suck everything in like black hole. Magnamon grabbed at the ground as the power of the gate pulled him in. "This is the end for you, Magnamon. You should have known better than to challenge me." Avatar laughed.

********

_This isn't good_. Magnamon held onto the soil as the Gate of Destiny pulled him even closer. Soon, the ground would break, and Magnamon would be deleted by the Gate's power. His mind flashed back to fighting ExPiedmon within the Gate of Destiny. He'd barely survived that encounter, and Davis had come even closer to being killed. Magnamon didn't want to repeat that experience again.

He risked a glance at the Digidestined. Davis was shouting something at him while trying to run to Magnamon's aid, but Yolei and Ken were restraining him. Magnamon smiled, _That's my partner_. He remembered what Davis had said. _"Give this fight everything you've got."_ Davis wanted to help his friends, and so did Magnamon. 

He had a plan. It was crazy, and bordered suicidal, but it might work. Taking a deep breath, Magnamon let go of the ground. Instantly, the Gate winds pulled him closer. Magnamon went limp and built up all this strength for his next move. He could hear Davis scream his name, and Avatar's insane laugh. He built up all the power within him and waited. 

He was spinning end over end, so he only caught glimpses of the Gate of Destiny. On one turn the gate was far off. Another turn and it was much closer. On the third turn he was practically at its doorstep. He waited as long as he dared… and then a second more… and then another second… NOW!

"Magna Explosion!" Magnamon released all his energy at once in an ever-widening sphere of golden light. The sphere expanded to match the Gates size, and the world vanished in an explosion.

********

"MAGNAMON!" Davis fell to his knees. "Magnamon… I don't believe it." Tears began to fall down his face.

TK watched his friend overcome with sadness. That was how TK felt when he had lost Patamon during the fight with Devimon. _He lost his partner trying to help me. _TK felt even more guilty. "Davis… I…"

Ken, meanwhile, was still watching the fight. Avatar was laughing his possessed head off, and the explosion of the Gate of Destiny was still expanding. Ken pointed a finger. "Look!" 

A small shadow appeared in the explosion, a shadow that quickly resolved into Magnamon. His armor was badly burnt and cracking all over. Several patches of armor broke off as he flew in at Avatar. Avatar was so taken aback that he didn't move in time to dodge. "Magna Punch!" Magnamon's blow connected squarely with Avatar's headband. The headband was forced off MagnaAngemon's head and spiraled upward. MagnaAngemon cried out and clutched his head as Avatar's influence left him.

Magnamon channeled all his power into his cracked gauntlets. "Magna Blast!" He fired all his power at the headband. Avatar's headband was caught in the blast. Cracks danced their way across the band, only the three rubies remained intact. The headband shattered into thousands of tiny shards, and a black liquid seeped out from the remnants. The rubies, gold shards, and liquid fell onto the ground in a small mess. 

MagnaAngemon sank to his knees and began to glow. He finally reverted back to Patamon. Magnamon flashed gold and transformed as well, but he didn't become Veemon or Demiveemon. Instead, he became a small round Digimon with what could only be described as a cowlick coming off the top of his head.

"Veemon!" Davis ran forward.

"Patamon!" TK limped after him, supported by Kari. 

Davis slid to a stop in front of the tiny blue Digimon. "Veemon, are you okay?"

The little Digimon slowly opened his large, button-like eyes. "Davis?"

Davis smiled, "Hey, buddy. You've lost some weight." He chuckled, even though tears were coming out of his eyes.

The little Digimon smiled, "I'm Chibomon, the baby form of Veemon."

Davis nodded, "You used up all most of your energy fighting MagnaAngemon. I'm sorry, you got hurt because of me."

Chibomon replied, "No. You wanted to help TK, just like I did. I gave the fight my very best shot, just like you told me to." 

Davis held him close. "Thanks, Chibomon. You were awesome, the best!"  
TK knelt down by Patamon. "Patamon?" His voice quivered with apprehension. 

Patamon's eyes fluttered open. "TK? TK!" Patamon laughed and jumped into his friend's arms. "Oh, TK! I thought I'd never see you again. I tried so hard to make Avatar stop, but I just couldn't break his control. It was horrible! It was like watching my body from the outside. I'm so sorry I hurt everyone."  
TK squeezed the air out of his partner with a big hug. "No, no. It wasn't your fault. I should have protected you. Please forgive me."

Patamon said, "It's not your fault, TK. If you don't blame me and I don't blame you, then it's no one's fault, right?"

TK nodded. His face was wet, just like Davis'. "Yeah."

Kari smiled, "I'm glad you're back, Patamon."

Gatomon nodded, "Me too." Everyone else agreed.

Patamon looked at Davis and Chibomon, who was asleep in Davis' arms. "Thank you, Davis, Chibomon."

Davis turned slightly red at all the emotion he had shown. "Hey, no biggie."

Ken, meanwhile, located his crest, which had reverted back from the golden digiegg. Despite the damage to Magnamon's armor, the crest was fully intact. Ken smiled, "I think that if we ever need Magnamon again, he'll be at full power next time."

********

The pain rose and fell like waves in a vast ocean. Avatar, now stripped of his container, could feel his energy draining away. The headband was destroyed, and Avatar's essence, the black liquid, was seeping out. He had failed. He had lost MagnaAngemon, and any hope of a new body. _It's not fair! I deserve a real body more than those fools. Why? Why did I lose?_ He had been in control of one of the strongest Digimon in existence, but he had lost to an Armor Digimon. It just wasn't fair.

Rage filled Avatar. He channeled all his energy and began to focus on forming his temporary body. He knew this was a fatal move on his part. There was no way he would survive. But before he died, he would kill all the Digidestined.

********

"Can we eat now?" Armadillomon's stomach growled. Everyone sighed.

TK said, "Let's head back to Primary Village. I want to tell Elecmon that everything's okay now. We can have a quick bit to eat and head home. This has been one long night."

Cody's voice sounded sleepy. "Yeah…" He was having a hard time keeping his eyes open. 

Patamon said, "I'll fly you back. I'll feel good to armor digivolve again."

TK nodded, "Digiar-"

A loud roar made everyone jump where they stood. They all turned around to look where Avatar's destroyed headband lay. The black liquid was merging together and seemed to be growing somehow. It slowly rose and rippled into a rough humanoid form. TK marveled at the sight. _How can that much liquid have been in one tiny headband?_

The liquid seemed to solidify into a huge skeleton. It was pitch black and shaped like Devimon without skin or wings, he even had horns on his head. A large fireball generated inside his rib cage, which gave his eyes and mouth an eerie red glow. TK just stared for a moment. _That's the true Avatar_.

"DIGIDESTINED!!!" Avatar moved forward. His movements were slow and awkward. It was almost as if he was limping. When he moved, bits of data fell off his body and dissolved. He was being deleted at an incredibly slow rate. "Digidestined, you have stolen my chance for life away from me. I will make you pay!"

Ken looked at Wormmon, "Can you digivolve again?" 

Wormmon shook his head. "I'm too tired from the last fight with MagnaAngemon. I don't think I can do it."

Hawkmon nodded wearily, "Indeed. I do not have the strength to digivolve either."

Armadillomon said, "I'm plum tuckered out."

Gatomon said, "Sorry, Kari."

Avatar opened his large mouth. The fireball in his chest glowed brighter, and a beam of bright red energy shot from his mouth. The blast connected with the ground a fair distance from the Digidestined, but the ensuing explosion was so huge that it sent the children and their Digimon flying backwards. They all hit the ground and rolled to a stop.

Cody exclaimed, "What power! He's on the same level as a Mega!"

Yolei said, "But look at him. It's like he's dying."

Avatar laughed, "Your Digimon are too weak from the last fight to oppose me, and there is no way you pathetic humans can survive. Give up and I will provide you with a somewhat painless death."

TK remembered what Davis had said. _"TK, no offense, but you give up way too easily."_ He shook his head. _I won't give up, not this time. We got Patamon back, even though the odds were against us. And this isn't the first time we've pulled off a miracle. I always thought that I had to take on every difficult task because I had the most experience, but my experience didn't free the golden digiegg, or help to defeat Kimeramon. We overcame all the challenges we've faced so far because we stuck together as a team, even when we disagreed. I know we can beat Avatar, even though the odds are still against us. I believe in this team, and in myself._ The Digivolution Crystal, which hung from TK's neck, began to glow bright white.

Davis was the first to see it. "TK! The Crystal!"

Patamon jumped into the air and hovered in front of TK. "TK, try to make me crystal digivolve. I know I can beat Avatar if I become a Crystal Digimon." 

TK nodded, "Go for it, Patamon! Crystal armor energize!" 

A beam of light jumped from the Crystal and struck Patamon. His body became a sihlouette in the bright light, and his form began to change. "Patamon crystal digivolve to… Shinmon: Shining Faith!" TK looked at his new Digimon as the light died down. At first, TK thought it was Pegasusmon. The form was similar, but then TK noticed some major differences. Shinmon's head was that of an eagle's, and his front two legs were actually three-toed talons. His rear legs were horse legs, and his body was a bright orange, just like Pegasusmon's. Two angelic wings protruded from his back. His armor was amber colored with silver, gold, and ruby trim. Gauntlets encircled his front feet, and boots, similar in design to Pegasusmon's, covered his back feet. A breastplate with large shoulder pads protected his chest, and his helmet covered the top half of his head and beak with two small wings fixed to the top. 

Ken was the first one to identify the form. "It's a hippogriff."

Davis frowned, "He's not a hippo! I think you need to get glasses like Yolei's, Ken."

Ken shook his head. "Not a hippo, a hippo_griff_. A hippogriff is a mythical creature that is half-griffin, half-horse."

Shinmon nodded, "I am Shinmon, a Crystal Digimon. As Patamon I use the power of faith to crystal digivolve. My prism shield can deflect any blow, and my Shining Strike will decimate all of my enemies." He looked at his friends, "You saved me from my imprisonment. Now, let me protect you." He took to the air to face off against Avatar. 

Avatar built up power for another blast and released it in a bright flash. "Prism Shield!" A shimmering barrier of light formed between Shinmon and the blast. The energy beam struck the shield and exploded in a burst of light so bright that the Digidestined had to shield their eyes. When TK managed to see again, he noticed that the ground behind Shinmon's shield was untouched, while the rest of the land was burnt and defaced. _Shinmon's incredible. I knew we could do it!_

Just then, TK noticed that something was wrong with Avatar. His mouth was open in a silent scream, and his whole body was shuddering. Suddenly, Avatar's jaw began to lengthen, followed shortly by his nose. They jutted outward until they formed a long snout. The rest of Avatar's body began to change as well. His legs bent at an angle, and his hands became larger. In moments, Avatar had transformed from a humanoid skeleton to what looked like a black SkullGreymon with Devimon's horns. The fireball still burned within his chest. _Is he devolving? _TK had never seen anything like this before.

Shinmon flew in and raked his claws against Avatar's skull before taking to the air again. Avatar roared in anger and grabbed at Shinmon with his claws, but the Crystal Digimon was too fast for him. Avatar shouted, "It's not fair! It's not fair that I cannot have what I desire the most!"

Shinmon looked down at his opponent. "What do you mean? What do you want?"

"A body to call my own!" Avatar's eyes were filled with hatred. "Do you have any idea what it is like to exist without a body of your own? Do you know what it is like to have to steal someone else's shell to exist?"

Shinmon glared at him, "You'll get no sympathy from me, Avatar. I was inside your mind when you possessed my body. You're filled with nothing but hatred and contempt for other creatures. You are a threat to everyone around you!"

Avatar snapped, "How dare you presume to judge me? You have no right! You don't know enough about me, do you? Well, I shall tell you my story before you die." He glanced at the Digidestined. "You humans and Digimon are so proud of yourselves for stopping the Dark Masters, but did you ever stop to think about the Digimon you failed to save?"

Shinmon was taken aback. "What do you mean 'the Digimon we failed to save?'"

Avatar said, "When the Dark Masters took over Primary Village, they shattered countless digieggs as they drained the village of all energy. In the process, countless baby Digimon were deleted before they had a chance to even live. _I_ was created from the pain and despair of those baby Digimon. _I_ am the culmination of their feelings of loss at not having been able to have a chance at life! It is their pain which gives me so much power!" He took a swipe at Shinmon, who quickly dodged the blow. 

Avatar continued, "But because I was created from baby Digimon, my body was too unstable to survive in the physical world. As I use up energy, my body devolves into cruder forms until nothing is left. I nearly perished a few moments after my creation, but then my master found me and saved me. He sealed me within a headband, which gave me the power to control others. And so I began my life as a parasite, jumping from host to host to survive. I had to hide in the shadows and watch as you creatures squandered away your lives on trivial pursuits. None of you understand the gift that you have been given. None of you know what it is like to not have a permanent physical form. None of you can understand my pain and loneliness. All I ever wanted was the chance to live as you creatures do, but now that will not happen, and it is ALL YOUR FAULT!" He fired another beam at Shinmon.

"Prism Shield." Shinmon deflected the blow. Despite his earlier words, Shinmon's voice was soft. "Avatar, let go of your hatred. We can help you if you let us."

Avatar snarled, "I don't want your help. You pitiful creatures are beneath me and I will not take any charity from you!" As he spoke, Avatar's body began to melt. His claws drooped and sagged until they became small rivers of flowing goo. His legs gave out, and his head began to sink into his body. Even under all the black goo, Avatar's fiery core still burned bright. He had devolved into a creature that bore a strong resemblance to Raremon. "It's not fair! I deserve to live, I earned the right!" He opened his mouth and fired yet another blast of energy that Shinmon dodged.

Shinmon shook his head, "Avatar, have you no regret for what you have done to others? What about Lazio? You killed him for no reason, and you forced GrandKuwagamon to serve you."

Avatar replied, "The fact that they were so easy to control shows how weak they were. And the malcontent Digimon are just the same. I didn't even have to possess those fools, all I had to do was play on their fear and hatred to turn them against the Digidestined! I have no pity for such inferior creatures!" 

Shinmon's body began to glow yellow. "Then you leave me no choice. I will stop you for the sake of every other living creature." The yellow aura around his body grew brighter. "Shinning Strike!" A stream of energy poured from Shinmon's body and struck Avatar head on.

"MAAAAAASSSSSSTEERRR!" Avatar screamed as his body began to dissolve in the bright light. He vanished in an explosion. When the dust cleared, a pit had been carved into the ground that was so deep the Digidestined could not see the bottom.

TK limped up to the edge of the pit. "Is he gone?"

Shinmon nodded, "Yes. I'm sorry but I had no choice."

TK nodded, "I understand." He couldn't help but feel a little haunted by Avatar's story. TK had felt the same hatred towards Avatar and Dark Digimon that Avatar had shown towards other creatures. _Am I no better than Avatar, all full of hatred?_ TK noticed that Shinmon's body flashed white and shrank down to a familiar form.

"Tokomon!" Shinmon had reverted back to Patamon's In-Training form. TK picked his tiny partner up. "I guess between digivolving into an Ultimate and Crystal Digivolving, you've used up a lot of energy, huh?"

Tokomon nodded, "Yeah, and I'm really tired. Sorry I can't take you back to Primary Village." 

TK smiled, "It's okay. Go to sleep. We'll hitch a ride with the others. You did great, my friend." Tokomon smiled and fell asleep. TK turned to the others. They all looked exhausted, but they were all smiling brightly at him. TK said, "Let's go home."

********

TK surveyed the scene at Primary Village from his resting-place on a small bench. His leg had been bandaged, and Tokomon was asleep next to him. The baby Digimon were all bouncing around happily, trying to get the Digidestined to play with them. Elecmon, while relieved to have TK and Patamon back, was fretting over how late it was. It was past the digibabies' bedtime. TK looked at his friends. Cody was asleep with his head on Yolei's shoulder, who was looking pretty tired herself. Kari was playing with the Digimon babies and Ken was standing off to the side, talking with Wormmon. Davis was walking towards TK with Chibomon in his arms.

"How you feeling?"

TK gave a small smile. "Better, you?"

Davis sighed and sat down, "I've played tons of soccer games, but this is the most tired I've ever been."

TK said, "Thanks, Davis, thanks for helping me and Patamon. You're a good friend." 

Davis waved a hand, "Hey, you would have done the same for me and Veemon, right?"

TK let out a small breath and looked at the stars, "Davis, what did you think of Avatar?"

Davis' expression soured, "A pain in the neck, why?"

TK said, "I just can't help but think about him as he died. He was so full of hatred towards us just because of who we were. It… reminded me of myself."

Davis frowned, "What do you mean?"

TK explained, "I hate Dark Digimon, Davis. I hate them with a passion. Devimon forced Angemon to give his life, and Piedmon chased me and Kari throughout Spiral Mountain. That was frightening."

Davis nodded, "I know what that's like. I was brought before Myotismon, remember?"

TK nodded, "Yeah, I wasn't too crazy about him either. All those evil Digimon haunted me. No matter how many times we beat them they just kept coming. I hated them, because I was so afraid of them. I don't want to hate them, it just happened. But I don't want to hate them! I don't want to hate anybody."

Davis placed a hand on TK's shoulder, "Then you won't."

TK blinked, "Excuse me?"

Davis said, "Back on my walkabout, I realized that I needed to start acting like a better friend to you and Kari. It's not easy sometimes, cause you and Kari are always paling around, but I try to keep my temper in check. That doesn't mean it always works, but I'm giving it my best shot. You say you don't want to hate Dark Digimon, so you won't if you try really hard to change your mind. You understand me?"

TK nodded, "Yeah, I think so." He yawned, "But I think I'll change my thoughts in the morning, we need to get back." 

Davis nodded and stood up. "Yeah, let's go home." The two friends headed towards the others.

********

The sun rose slowly over the Digital World, but one shadow remained in plain view. A dark rift formed right above Avatar's ruined headband. A large figure stood there, as if the sunlight was terrified to go near him. He raised one massive claw and several rubies floated up from the debris.

Magnamon had destroyed Avatar's headband, but the rubies had remained intact. Through these rubies, Avatar's master would triumph. There was still options left to him, and it was time to use his trump card. "Child of hope, child of light, I am not done with you yet." 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Crystal Digimon Saga enters its final arc and the identity of the evil force is revealed. "Caring Hearts" is coming soon.

Author's Note: Sorry, Ken fans, but I don't think I can come up with a story arc for Kenny boy. It's time I wrapped things up, and Kari's story arc will be the last one. I'll get to working on "Caring Hearts" very soon, provided school doesn't get in the way of my writing. We can hope.

By the way, I have many people to thank for creating Shinmon. A very clever author named Thou Shalt Not gave me the suggestion to use a Hippogriff. My friends Taty and Eric gave me the idea for TK's trait. As Taty and I decided, faith isn't like hope. You can hope for a good situation, but you can place your faith in people. Finally, I'd like to thank ShannonL for giving me suggestions for Shinmon's attacks.

Shin is short for shinpou, which is Japanese for faith. So, Shinmon is actually Faithmon in Japanese. Clever, huh? No? Didn't think so…


End file.
